Birdwatching in Madeira 17th-24th February 2022

This is my first ever blog post about birdwatching. I will be using these for my own records, and to help others on their trips.

The trip was my first in 2 years due to the pandemic. I wanted to do a small one on a budget to dip my toe back in the waters of travel.  Bird wise, it wasn't the ideal time of year for seeing the best of what Madeira has to offer, I just wanted to start travelling as soon as possible. 

So, let's get on with.

1 - We stayed in Sao Jorge. This wasn't based on anything to do with birdwatching, simply because it was the best property of those on offer. We had never been to Madeira so didn't know what the best place would be to base ourselves, so just went this way. From our window we could see diving buzzards, flying yellow legged gulls, and a regular flock of Atlantic canaries (a tick). Around the property I saw black caps, Madeira chaffinch (another tick), and the occasional wren & robin. A walk up and down the main road added kestrels.  The weather was almost constantly cloudy on north side. The very high cliffs seemed to attract the clouds.  The upside to this side of the island is it's very quiet with no traffic at all.

2 - Monte Palace Madeira. If you want to see Madeira's big 4 (Firecrest, Chaffinch, Trocaz Pigeon, Atlantic Canary) all in one easy place, come here. I had an amazing encounter in the cafe at the bottom. I noticed a couple of tame Madeira Chaffinch on the floor and tables looking for scraps, and thought I'd see if I could get one to eat out of my hand. I got a female one on the ground to do it, but the real success was having a male sit on my hand and happily eat his way through several seeds.

3 - Porto Moniz. This is supposed to be THE place for palegic bird watching. Unfortunately I didn't see any except yellow legged gulls. It was simply the wrong time of year. This is a board there displaying all the things you could see at the right time of year.

4 - Arco Da Calheta. We stopped here for a walk. The weather was a complete contrast to the northern part of the island. The skies were clear and it was sunny. I went from wearing a thick jumper to burning in a t-shirt. As I hadn't expected to need lotion, I put my umbrella up and got some real funny looks. Around the marina there were the usual yellow legged gulls, but I found a flock of turnstone that looked like they expected me to feed them. In the skies around the cliffs I saw swifts, buzzards, and a sparrowhawk. The nice surprise was a flock of Atlantic Canaries feeding on an area of grass. They were tame enough to get close for razor sharp shots.

5 - A short drive from our property to the edge of a forest was packed with black caps and several kestrels.

6 - Sao Vincente. A peppering of Atlantic Canaries, buzzards, but the only stand out was a Eurasian Whimbrel on the beach. 

7 - Parque Florestal Chao Dos Louros (picnic ground). If you want plenty of Chaffinch & Firecrest, this is the spot. The were dozens of Chaffinch feeding on the ground of the car park. I sprinkled some seeds on the wall, and positioned myself with my back to the sun for some perfectly lit shots. I heard and saw about a dozen firecrest moving through the trees, but it was a battle to get the right exposure as they went from shade to sunlit area. In the end I was blessed with a lone one right out front at eye level, which provided me with some incredible shots.

8 - The seafront of the capital was a bit of dull spot for birds besides lots of yellow legged gulls. It at least provided a great opportunity to get a shot of one filling the frame in good light. 

9 - Machico. We came here for a walk & meal before our flight home. A few Atlantic Canaries, and a dozen or so turnstone.

Some miscellaneous bits were grey wagtails dotted around rivers & roads, and hundreds of escaped/released domestic ducks. We even saw some had chicks.