Madeira Day 4

   For our final morning on Madeira we had tried to book a speedboat trip with boat Ventura do Mar and Magic Dolphin, but they were both full. We could have gone again with Rota dos Cetaceos but since we kept encountering the same species we eventually decided to save our money and just have a relaxed morning around Funchal. We did check the sightings board of the two former companies, and were pleased to see the only Cetacean they had seen was Bottlenose Dolphin, although it was gutting to see that Magic Dolphin managed to see a Mediterranean Monk Seal.

  Obviously walking around Funchal does not provide ample birding opportunities, but we still saw nice species such as Atlantic Canary and Plain Swift, whilst offshore there were nice close views of Yellow-legged Gull and Common Tern. Monarch butterflies and Clouded Yellows were both common in the gardens, and we saw two more Madeiran Wall Lizards. After a few drinks in the city centre we headed off to the airport and then back to Paris, rounding off a few delightful days on the island. 

Madeira Day 3

  The morning started very well, as whilst waiting at the harbour in Funchal, Laura spotted a large caterpillar moving not far from where we were. A couple of inches long, I picked it up and moved it to a safer location. I suspected, from the patterning, that it might be a Deaths Head Hawkmoth, but a washed-out individual, so I sent the photos to AC for confirmation, who happily agreed. For a caterpillar, it was remarkably strong in my hand.

   Still lacking whales, we arranged another visit morning speedboat trip, this time returning to Magic Dolphin. We departed at 10:00, slightly later than the previous day and headed out to see in much the same direction as the previous day. Sadly the whales did not materialise and the only species we encountered was presumably the same pod of Atlantic Spotted Dolphins. They showed just as well, if not better, than the previous day and we were even able to pick out a couple of actually spotted individuals. Our subsequent searching yielded no additional species, although we were told there had been another sighting of a Blainville’s Beaked Whale near Funchal, but we could not connect with it. 

  Because of this, we decided to try again in the afternoon, although had a hard time tracking down a company operating tours at later times in the day. In the end we booked with Rota dos Cetaceos, who were excellent although a little more expensive. Their speedboat was slightly bigger, capable of carrying 36 people I understood, but we made sure we were sat right at the front. This did mean that we would feel the effects of the waves more than sitting in the middle, but it was much more fun than sitting at the back. We departed Funchal at 16:00, and they even had a later tour than even that, had we wanted it.

  For the first time we headed out to the east side of the island and here it was much choppier, but that in turn brought several birds to us, including two Desertas Petrels which showed phenomenally well, as well as the Bulwers Petrels and Corys Shearwaters we had gotten used to. On the cetacean front we were treated to a real show by a group of maybe five Short-finned Pilot Whales as they crested the waves, giving us full views of the animals. For some reason we were able to stay longer with the group than the 10 minutes normally allowed. Despite not bringing any new species to our list, it was the best encounter of any that we had during out time on the island. 

-Short-finned Pilot Whale

-Atlantic Spotted Dolphin

-Desertas Petrel

-Cory's Shearwater

-Bulwer's Petrel

-Deaths Head Hawkmoth

Madeira Day 2

   As mentioned, the motorboat trip from the previous afternoon had been rearranged for this morning, so that meant our morning had already been organised. This was with the company Ventura do Mar, and we set off nice and early at 09:30, out to sea in a motorboat containing just 15 people.

  It did not take us long to encounter a group of animals, but sadly they were ‘only’ Bottlenose Dolphins. They did a little bit of jumping but not too much, and our views were limited to mostly fins coming out of the water, even if they were at close range. We stayed with them for 10 minutes, during which time the animals seemed very relaxed, before we sped off westward to try to find some different species. On this westwardly trip I spotted the first Deseratas/Zinos Petrel of the trip, but sadly I never got a view of the underwings to have any indication as to which one of the pair it was.

  After a rapid trip across the ocean, we arrived at our second group of animals, a pod of around 20 Atlantic Spotted Dolphins. This was a species I really wanted to see but it was a little disappointing that most of the animals seemed to be younger and therefore did not have the striking spotty patterning. Still, they were very interactive with the boat, swimming alongside and offering fantastic views for the time we were able to spend with them. This was our last stop before heading back to port, where we received the disappointing news that the Magic Dolphin tour that had been out at the same time had seen a Blainville’s Beaked Whale!

  In the afternoon we took the Madeira Cable Car company ride up to the gardens above Funchal. There are apparently two cable car companies in the area, and I made a bit of a ballsup with picking the right one. I should not have booked it in advance. Still we had an enjoyable late afternoon ride up the correct cable car at additional expense and a nice walk in the woods overlooking the city. The birds here were quite numerous, with two different Madeiran Firecrests seen, both looking awful in their post-breeding moult, and several Madeira Chaffinches also seen but not quite as well. This was still a subspecies last time I saw it, so it was good to be reconnected. In addition there was a Madeiran Wood White and several Madeiran Wall Lizards, including one that decided to bite me when I tried to touch it…

-Atlantic Spotted Dolphin

-Common Bottlenose Dolphin

-Madeira Firecrest

-Madeira Chaffinch

-Madeiran Wall Lizard

Madeira Day 1

  Since I would be going away for the best part of two months at the end of the year, I decided to take Laura away somewhere nice to attempt to soften this blow. Since whale-watching had long been a topic of conversation, the eventual destination I decided upon was Madeira, since it has a wide variety of cetacean species, as well as stunning scenery and a very relaxed lifestyle. We had three nights on the island and made plans to do several whale-watching trips to maximise our chances of a Rorqual or equally large whale sighting. 

  Our flight from Paris landed us in Madeira at midday, and we had booked our first trip for 14:00 from Funchal that afternoon. To save costs on a hire car, our AirBnB was located just outside the city centre of Funchal, from where we could easily walk to several whale watching operators. Because it was already September and tourist season was slowing down, the motorboat trip I booked with Ventura do Mar was rearranged for the following morning, so I eventually arranged a catamaran tour with Magic Dolphin.

  This was a less intimate experience, since the Catamaran was full with what I would estimate to be around 70 people, but it was still a good start to our trip as we managed to find a group of Short-finned Pilot Whales on this first afternoon. They showed very nicely from the boat, lingering around us rather than swimming off. These were the only cetaceans that we saw, but it was very enjoyable. The catamaran trip finished with a slow cruise back along the coastline, bringing us back late afternoon. In addition to the whales, it was great to be reacquainted with Corys Shearwater and Bulwers Petrel whilst on the catamaran, even if they were not the target of the trip. 

-Short-finned Pilot Whale

-East Atlantic Sally Lightfoot Crab

-Clouded Yellow

Madeira complete species list

BIRDS
Cory's Shearwater	Calonectris borealis
Bulwer's Petrel	Bulweria bulwerii
Desertas Petrel	Pterodroma deserta
Zino's Petrel	Pterodroma madeira
Band-rumped Storm Petrel	Oceanodroma castro
Common Buzzard	Buteo buteo
Eurasian Sparrowhawk	Accipiter nisus granti
Yellow-legged Gull	Larus michahellis
Common Tern	Sterna hirundo
Roseate Tern	Sterna dougallii
Whimbrel	Numenius phaeopus
Sanderling	Calidris alba
Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres
Common Ketrel	Falco tinnunculus canariensis
Peregrine	Falco peregrinus
Trocaz Pigeon	Columba trocaz
Feral Pigeon	Columba livia domestica
Eurasian Collared Dove	Streptopelia decaocto
Plain Swift	Apus unicolor
Berthelot's Pipit	Anthus berthelotii
Grey Wagtail	Motacilla cinerea schmitzi
Eurasian Blackcap	Sylvia atricapilla
Common Whitethroat	Sylvia communis
Madeira Firecrest	Regulus madeirensis
European Robin	Erithacus rubecula
Common Blackbird	Turdus merula cabrerae
Madeiran Chaffinch	Fringilla coelebs maderensis
European Goldfinch	Carduelis carduelis parva
Atlantic Canary	Serinus canaria
Common Waxbill	Estrilda astrild
MAMMALS
Brydes Whale	Balaenoptera brydei
REPTILES
Madeiran Wall Lizard	Lacerta dugesii
AMPHIBIANS
Perez's Frog	Pelophylax perezi
BUTTERFLIES
Monarch	Danaus plexippus
Red Admiral	Vanessa atalanta
Clouded Yellow	Colias croceus
Small White	Pieris rapae
Lang's Short-tailed Blue	Leptotes pirithous
Speckled Wood	Pararge aegeria
Madeiran Grayling	Hipparchia maderensis

Madeira Day 5

Ventura do Mar; Desertas Islands trip

32.512719, -16.509508 ~ 32.646104, -16.910663

We awoke early in the morning and after a couple of hours had made our move to leave the island. The Berthelot’s Pipits and Atlantic Canaries were still hanging around the camp; showing as well as they had been the previous day.

The journey back was much the same as the crossing coming, with exceptional views of Bulwer’s Petrels and Cory’s Shearwaters. The Pterodroma petrel count was up to 19, with most moving past distantly, but with the occasional bird coming quite close. As before, all the birds that we were able to identify we assigned to Desertas Petrel. The highlight of the return trip was an awesome Bryde’s Whale which emerged from the waves not far from the boat. We saw it emerge a few times, each time giving an impressive spout. It was fortunate that the animal was as close to the boat, the choppy nature of the ocean otherwise making it difficult to pick out cetaceans against the waves.

Upon our return to the Madeiran mainland we made our way back to the hostel where we gathered our things and headed off to the airport for our return flight.

-Bryde's Whale

-Pterodroma Petrel

-Cory's Shearwater

Species List:

Ventura do Mar; Desertas Islands trip: Cory’s Shearwater, Bulwer’s Petrel, Desertas Petrel, Common Tern, Yellow-legged Gull, Berthelot’s Pipit, Atlantic Canary, Bryde’s Whale, Madeiran Wall Lizard,

Madeira Day 4

Ventura do Mar; Desertas Islands trip

32.646104, -16.910663 ~ 32.512719, -16.509508

The plan for the last two days of the trip was to travel out to the Desertas Islands off the south-eastern corner of Madeira. The tour was organised by Ventura do Mar; consisting of a boat trip out to islands early afternoon, followed by a night on the island, and then a return boat journey the following day.

The boat journey produced excellent views of both Cory’s Shearwater and Bulwer’s Petrel. Both species could be seen flying at very close quarters alongside us. The birds we were really hunting for were Pterodroma petrels, and we had great success with at least eight individuals. Most individuals were distant, but those close enough to be identified were all Desertas Petrels, the less endangered species which breeds on Bugio, the most southern island of the Desertas Islands archipelago.

In addition to the tubenoses on display, we also had a cracking adult Roseate Tern sat on the pier within the harbour in Funchal. The personal highlight from the crossing was an incredible Atlantic Flying Fish, which flew out from alongside the boat, and proceeded to glide for some ten metres before dropping back into the water. It happened too quickly for photos, but it was amazing to witness!

-Roseate Tern

-Desertas Petrel

-Bulwer's Petrel

Once we arrived on Deserta Grande, the largest Island in the Archipelago and our home for the night, we were greeted by incredible views of Berthelot’s Pipit. Birds were running around our feet and almost taking food from our hands. We also had really good views of Atlantic Canary, with large flocks zipping around the area of our camp. The Madeiran Wall Lizards on the Island were even tamer than those on the mainland, regularly taking food from our hands, and any food left unattended was quickly set upon by them. We also had two island rarities; Collared Dove and Common Whitethroat, the latter being quite rare species for Madeira as a whole. As well as birding the island, during the afternoon we went for a swim, getting to see some of the amazing fish species.

-Berthelots Pipit

-Atlantic Canary

-Atlantic Rock Crab

-Madeiran Wall Lizard

-Common Whitethroat

The main reason for visiting the island was to enjoy the seabird colony there. Everywhere we walked there were burrows of Cory’s Shearwater and Bulwer’s Petrel and once night fell, the island came alive with birds everywhere. We regularly found Bulwer’s Petrels sat on the floor near their nests, whilst still more flew around our heads. The other species breeding on the island is Madeiran Storm Petrel, which we failed to see but frequently heard coming into their nests. We finally put our heads down at around midnight, sleeping on mattresses out in the open whilst the seabird extravaganza continued around us.

Species List:

Ventura do Mar; Desertas Islands trip: Cory’s Shearwater, Bulwer’s Petrel, Desertas Petrel, Madeiran Storm Petrel, Roseate Tern, Common Tern, Yellow-legged Gull, Collard Dove, Berthelot’s Pipit, Common Whitethroat, Atlantic Canary, Madeiran Wall Lizard,

Madeira Day 3

Funchal

32.646465, -16.908382

After a late evening out in Funchal, we spent the majority of the day recovering around Phil’s Hostel. We walked down into town late morning where we spent some time birding the parks and lawns adjacent to the harbour. We had our first Common Waxbill of the trip, although they were only brief around a small allotment on the cliffside. The lawns around the city centre where popular with schmitzi Grey Wagtail, which we found to be fairly approachable given time.

-Banded Garden Spider

-Plain Swift

-schmitzi Grey Wagtail

-Lang's Short-tailed Blue

Species List:

Funchal: Cory’s Shearwater, Yellow-legged Gull, Common Tern, Feral Pigeon, Grey Wagtail, Common Waxbill, Lang’s Short-tailed Blue, Monarch,

Vereda do Areeiro

32.734961, -16.928667

In the evening we went out on an evening tour with Wind Birds to the Zino’s Petrel colony in the mountains in the centre of the island. The wind battered us while we walked through the darkness along steep highland paths. It was quite the experience to say the least! The point where we would hear the petrels coming in to their nests was some distance along the paths. During quieter spells, when the wind dropped off, we heard single birds flying about but we did not spot any silhouettes against the sky.

Species List:

Vereda do Areeiro: Zino’s Petrel,