Welcome to the Pterodrome!: Madeira Trip Report September-October 2020 - Part One

 

I was lucky enough to be offered a flight by my old mate Philip Precey to Madeira, an island off Portugal. He was heading there last minute to put together a wildlife trip for his company, Wildlife Travel.

The remote island of Madeira is well-known for its endemic wildlife and for hosting the only known colony of Zino's Petrels in the world, with only c80 pairs (almost close to extinction when the colony was discovered a few years ago). On the nearby Desertas Islands, the only known colony of Desertas Petrels breed, although there is some debate as to the taxonomic status of these birds and whether they are a subspecies of Fea's Petrel, which breeds on the Canaries. They are a chunkier version of Zino's. Add to this spectacular whale and dolphin possibilities, outside chance of the world's rarest seal and a host of endemic insects and plants (and a small number of land birds!), and you have one exciting destination for a few days birding!

I have recently been vicariously salivating over sightings of Pterodroma petrels down in Cornwall, made by my mates Dunc (check out his Ely10 blog account here) and Mark (@GrafhamBirder) and the chance to catch up with one of these mindblowing seabirds was not to be missed...

Itinerary

Sunday 27th September. 

Flight from Heathrow (3 hours with a strong tailwind!), Coronavirus test on arrival and then restricted to our AirBnB (at Canico, just west of the airport) until the results came through. Fortunately, we had a balcony overlooking the ocean and the negative results arrived after only five hours! During this time we saw our first four Desertas Petrels and a mum and calf Bryde's Whales (!) along with about 200 Cory's Shearwaters. Once released from house arrest, we found a spot with a better view of the ocean from 6pm til dusk.

Monday 28th September

Seawatching at Porto Moniz, the northwest corner of the island (about an hour's drive), followed by visit to Europe's steepest cable car down to a secluded community, with some interesting plants. Then a visit to Pont Do Pardo lighthouse, the very western tip of Madeira, good for American vagrants (not while we were there). We had a quick look at the river mouth of Ribera Brava and nearby tiny wetland, but didn't see much.

Tuesday 29th September

Whale watching trip off Funchal. In a rib, with Ventura, was great with knowledgeable guides and good w-w etiquette. However, the trip which was sold as 3-4 hours only lasted 1 1/2 hours before we came back in. Nevertheless, we did get great views of Short-finned Pilot Whales and Bottlenose Dolphins. Expensive for the short duration!

We then went to the Palheiro Gardens in Funchal, a well-known spot for Trocaz Pigeons. Here we bumped into a British birding couple who said they thought they had heard Zino's Petrel before dawn that morning up at Pico Do Arieiro. This seemed unlikely, but we thought we would give it a go anyway. We went up before dusk, but sadly the peaks were enveloped in low cloud and it was drizzling! We waited an hour until dark in this spectacular location, but then gave up as it was really grim and any self-respecting petrel would have stayed at sea level in the warm!

                            

Wednesday 30th September

The undoubted highlight of the trip was a visit by boat to the Desertas Islands.  This was a full day trip aboard the Bonita Da Madeira and I could not recommend it highly enough. The journey was a couple of hours each way allowing great views of seabirds, including stunning views of Bulwer's and Desertas Petrels, plus Atlantic Spotted Dolphins and Short-finned Pilot Whales. Best of all, following a swim and an informative tour of Deserta Grande, we saw a Mediterranean Monk Seal! - absolute mammal mega and something we didn't really think we'd see. Most of the locals we'd asked about this species said they were very rare and elusive and hard to see, so this was an undoubted highlight of the trip.

 

Thursday 1st October

Walk at Ribera Do Frio in the morning along the lavada through the Laurel Forest. Most of the native Laurel Forest has gone, but this easy walk took us through some great natural vegetation, with some cool endemic plants. 

We then went up to Pico Do Arieiro to have a look at the view in the daylight - absolutely amazing! We then headed north down to Porto Moniz for another seawatch.

Friday 2nd October

Did a long walk at the eastern end of the island along the mountainous peninsula to Caso Do Sardinhia, again supposedly good for migrants etc but apart from two Greenland Wheatears, not on the day we were there. Neverthless, as with everywhere on Madeira, spectacular scenery, lots of endemic plants and a few cool birds. We checked out the river at Machico (little!) on the way back and then did a last bit of seawatching at Canico to end the trip. 

If you want more specific details, please drop me a line, or check out the really useful website MadeiraBirds.com

Desertas Petrel with its only known breeding island of Bugio in the background.

Welcome to the Pterodrome! - Madeira, 2020

Desertas Petrels, what astonishingly superb birds, carving arcs across the Atlantic. All taken from a boat between the Desertas Islands and Madeira, yesterday. Just a few pics to whet your appetite for later...

HUMPBACK WHALES OFF FLAMBOROUGH!

A dawn start at Flamborough Head led to disappointment in the drizzle. Conditions for migrant birds looked great - I must have got something wrong! - as the Old Fall Circuit yielded virtually nothing. One Wheatear, a couple of Lesser Redpolls and several Goldcrests was all I could find. Not quite the epic fall that had inspired me to spring out of bed earlier on. There was a surprise in store, however. I decided the fresh northeasterly may offer more value over the sea and news of a White-chinned Petrel off Norfolk confirmed my decision - I grabbed my scope and headed down to the fog station.

Arriving at the seawatching hide, news was surprisingly mediocre, with only a handful of skuas and Sooty Shearwaters moving. 1000 Kittiwakes was impressive though, so I decided to stay a while. A little later, a guy walked up and said he had seen a whale breach - twice! This was interesting; I had never seen a Minke Whale breach although I was aware they did it, but only rarely. This would be cool to see, but as I scanned I feared I had missed my chance. A few tense moments later and the yell of 'Humpback!' came from Andy Malley in the hide - panic! 

Scanning the sea, a large dark shape appeared, like a rocket emerging from the sea, it span round, two immense wing-like white pectoral fins flung wide and the whale launched backwards causing an immense splash. A Humpback Whale! A massive Humpback Whale - ABSOLUTELY MEGA! 

The whale breached a couple more times, then lay on the surface, smashing one of it's pectoral fins on the surface. It then fluked, dived under before starting a long series of cataclysmic breaches. At one point, it became clear there was a second individual as I saw another whale breach further out very shortly after the first whale had landed. Two Humpbacks! I had always dreamed of seeing this leviathan off the Yorkshire coast, but never expected to see a prolonged display like this. The whale/whales carried on cavorting for the best part of an hour, gradually heading north and further out and as news spread, quite a crowd gathered along the clifftop. Even at a great distance, the immense splash caused by the breaching could be seen easily through bins. The blow was seen frequently, large and bushy, hanging for a few seconds. Absolute scenes! One of the greatest things I have ever seen.

Upper two pics you can see the white pectoral flippers contrasting with the black body as the whale twists over on it's back for maximum splash. The bottom pic shows the whale fluking, whacking it's massive tail on the water.

Off-piste to Spurn

I don't go to Spurn much these days, but I should, it's a great place! Spent a great, though exhausting day with Philip, walking the Point, then Sammy's Point and Kilnsea Wetlands. A keen easterly was still blowing in from the North Sea, but crystal clear azure skies were not conducive to a fall of migrants. Nevertheless, my first Yellow-browed Warbler, a real gem, showed briefly at Sammy's and a Jack Snipe bounced stealthily with a Common cousin in the cut reeds at Canal Scrape. Our long walk revealed small numbers of migrants, including Whinchat, Wheatear, Tree Pipit, two Redstarts, Spotted Flycatcher, Siskins and Brambling, whilst Kilnsea Wetlands held two Little Stints, assorted Mediterranean Gulls and a gang of Black-tailed Godwits. A dashing Wood Sandpiper finished the day off nicely, though the show had been stolen by a few smart Sea Aster Bees, a species I have looked for elsewhere and failed to see. 

Spotted Flycatcher, just after eating a Large White butterfly, at the Wire Dump

Wheatear at the Point; Sea Aster Bee not on a Sea Aster.

Jack Snipe bouncing around furtively, to the left of the larger Common Snipe.

Classic Drift

The wind turned to the east mid-week and a flurry of drift migrants appeared on the Yorkshire coast. Rich Baines found this juvenile Red-backed Shrike in the Bay Brambles at Flamborough on Friday, and it was still showing well in the late afternoon sunshine. 

Quick dash for a Little Stint

After working at Ripon City Wetlands in the morning (50+ Pink-footed Geese west, 5 Black-tailed Godwits, Greenshank, 5 Crossbills etc) made a quick dash back there after tea to see a cute juvenile Little Stint. My first at the site and always a great bird to see. 

York Cattle Egret and Whales off Staithes!

10-11th September: Led two back-to-back pelagics off Staithes for Yorkshire Coast Nature. The first was great with many sightings of at least seven Minke Whales, whereas the following day, rougher seas meant it was a struggle and I only saw one Minke. There were some great feeding frenzies of at least 50 Grey Seals, hundreds of Gannets etc, but no whales. Also saw a handful of Manx and Sooty Shearwaters and a couple of Great Skuas. Great fun!

Sadly my poor photography skills don't do these superb beasts justice. 

 

 

9th September: Put the cricket bat down for a quick twitch to Wheldrake Ings to see my first York-area Cattle Egret that had been found by Craig and Duncan on the Low Grounds early evening. Sol came with me and was chuffed to get a ride in Craig's truck! After watching the bird, seemingly a juvenile, for a bit, something flushed the bird and the accompanying Greylags and it flew out of sight. It was last seen heading towards Bank Island and was not seen again by dusk, though I was home playing cricket in the street by then.

Kittiwake in York

Yesterday, I got a message from John Jackson to say there was a juvenile Kittiwake on the lake at York University. This seemed quite unlikely but was accompanied by a cracking photo. I shot down there as this would be a York tick for me. I had armed myself with a can or sardines just in case it fancied a snack. Sadly, I couldn't find it. Presumably, it had just dropped in for a rest before heading off. I checked Hes East but again, no sign. Me and my sardines headed home.

I was surprised to get a message this afternoon to say it was still present. My eyes are clearly painted on.

Again, I shot down there and this time, luck was on my side and the gull was sitting in the middle of the lake, paddling around snapping up insects. Fab! Juvenile Kittiwakes are really stonking so it was great to see one of this age in the York area. It seems they have had a good breeding season along the Yorkshire coast this year given the number of juveniles I have seen on recent seawatches.  I chucked in the sardines close to the bird but it was disinterested, carrying on snapping up nearby flies. Later on, it showed interest in bread, diving in among the local Black-headeds and Mallards as a family tossed a few crusts in for the ducks. Shortly, it completely vanished and Duncan refound it down the far end of the lake. Presumably that is where it had hidden yesterday when I failed to find it. 

The stormy weather over the last couple of days presumably blew this youngster inland. Let's hope it survives to make it's way back to the coast.

South Atlantic Voyagers

I spent the day at Flamborough Head, firstly guiding a Yorkshire Coast Nature group and then another five hours seawatching. In the morning, a couple of hours seawatching with the group yielded a flock of five Long-tailed Skuas, c20 Arctic Skuas, 10 Bonxies, a couple each of Sooty and Manx Shearwaters and a flock of smart pale-bellied Brent Geese. The sea really was mountainous and I was relieved we hadn't gone out in the boat!

Sooty Shearwater. Superb birds that breed in the South Atlantic, on islands such as the Falklands. They undertake a massive clockwise loop of the South and North Atlantic, during which we get a chance to see them. Corking!

After the clients had departed, I continued to seawatch. Lots of Arctic Skuas were still moving, many of which were juveniles, indicative of a productive breeding season. A few Bonxies, Sooty and Manx Shearwaters passed north too, plus a steady stream of Fulmars and Gannets. Surely, something more special was out there! A few Sandwich Terns headed south, a couple of Whimbrel too and a trickle of Racing Pigeons northbound (?!).

Out of nowhere, JohnnyMac announced 'Great Shearwater heading north, close-in' - the statement cut through the chatter of the hide and the several birders present frantically scanned. Craig Thomas sitting next to me got on it and reassured me that I would see this easily - I had been explaining to him earlier that I was desperate to see a Great Shearwater here in Yorkshire- but I could not get on it...panic rose; I could hear the excited chatter around me. How could I not see it? I couldn't take this any longer, so I asked Craig for a look through his scope - boom! There it was, far closer in than I was looking - what a stunningly handsome bird. Switching back to my own scope I got on it quickly and followed it's slow progression north. Unlike Great Shears I have seen before that moved fast downwind, this bird was moving slowly, occasionally pattering the surface as if feeding. I managed a bit of shaky phonescoped video. After a couple of minutes of amazing views, it disappeared round the corner. Our voyager from the South Atlantic had gone, leaving us beaming and exhilarated. The andrenaline rush was incredible and I was left shaking. I owed Double Deckers to Johnny and Craig and apparently a few quid to the Flamborough Bird Obs swearbox!

Great Shearwater: an iconic seabird that travels north from breeding colonies on Tristan de Cunha and Gough Island in the South Atlantic. Notice the Harbour Porpoises that pop up in the second clip.

Fish Hawk

 

Cracking morning at Ripon City Wetlands. Nice, calm conditions, with some sunny spells. Two Ospreys almost continually present, actively hunting over Riverside Lagoon, along the river and once or twice over Canal Reedbed, affording amazing views. Also seen: Garganey, Shoveler 3, Teal c40, Marsh Harrier, Knot 1 juv, Wood Sandpipers 2 juvs, Greenshanks 2, Common Sandpipers 3, Ringed Plovers 11, Dunlin 3, Green Sandpipers 5, Oystercatcher 2, Snipe 8, Curlew, Ruff 6, Yellow Wagtail, Treecreeper, Marsh Tit.

Nice to meet some of the local birders too!

Knot, Ruff, Wood Sandpiper

                                                       

                                                              Two Wood Sandpipers

 

Greenshank

Wednesday 19th August: Ripon Wader Fest

 

We have been pumping the water out of Canal Reedbed at Ripon City Wetlands YWT recently, to allow work to take place to reinstall the water control structure and replant the reeds eaten by the geese. This has created excellent wader habitat right on time for southbound passage! In a number of mid-August visits both on business and for pleasure, I have seen two Wood Sandpipers, several Green Sandpipers, three Common Sandpipers, three Ruffs, two Greenshanks, several Snipe, a Dunlin, 130+ Lapwings, several Curlews and a Redshank. Five Turnstones were a good record for the site, but I missed them. There's been a couple of juvenile Peregrines knocking about and a Hobby. The water will be kept low with a pump until the reeds are planted in October and then we will allow the water to come back up with winter rains. So, for now, the wader fest should continue!

Wood Sandpiper

Braving Storm Ellen

 

Storm Ellen arrived and my whalewatching trip was cancelled. With the day off, I jumped out of bed at 6am and headed up to Ripon City Wetlands, to see what Ellen had brought. In the comfort of Canal Reedbed hide, I enjoyed a couple of hours chatting to Martin Bland, watching the waders (3 Greenshanks, 6 Ruffs, 6 Ringed Plovers, Dunlin, 3 Green Sandpipers, 254 Lapwings) and hoping for something exciting to drop in from the threatening sky. Nothing did, but I was pleased to pick out a female Garganey from the flock of 50 Teal, my first for the site.

Garganey.

Elegant Ruff and Mute Swan feet. A bit of a size difference!

Pignut Paradise

We visited Pegsdon Hills (BCN Wildlife Trust) on the way to Norfolk a couple of weeks back. I used to spend a lot of time here when we lived nearby, checking the Hebridean sheep, birding and botanising. It is a cracking place and the chalk grasslands looked stunning, with drifts of delicate Pignut and magenta Knapweed, whilst in the valley bottoms, carpets of Marjoram were teeming with butterflies and other insects. It was a bit late for orchids, but I did find a couple of Chalk Fragrants. It was great to find Chalkhill Blues still flourishing at Pegsdon, along with Brown Argus, Common Blue, Small Copper and others. A wonderful place, full of great memories for me. I wrote my wedding speech sitting on top of the hills looking north, one August afternoon, back in 2003.

I noticed a cool moth on the Field Scabious. With a bit of help from Twitter mates, it was identified as a Brassy Longhorn Moth. Nice. Chalk grasslands don't come much better than this.

(All photos with Samsung Galaxy A5)