2013 Seabirds season started in Madeira

2013 Seabirds season started in Madeira

After Manx shearwaters Puffinus puffinus started to arrive to Madeira in February and Cory’s shearwaters Calonectris diomedea in March we were just waiting for Zino’s Petrels Pterodroma madeira to return to their breeding colony by end of March/early April to declare the opening season for watching seabirds in Madeira!

We have been watching Manx and Cory’s shearwaters on our Bird, dolphin and whale watching trips though we still have to wait a couple of weeks to watch Bulwer’s Petrels Bulweria bulwerii and about 40 days more to see Fea’s/Deserta’s Petrodroma feae/deserta petrels flying around our rigid-hulled inflatable boat, Oceanodroma.

Talking about Oceanodromas, Madeiran storm-petrels Oceanodroma castro are present all year around as there are 2 populations breeding in these islands in different seasons: summer and winter breeding colonies. But these seabird species is very difficult to observe near the coast, they are offshore birds, just like the Zino’s Petrels and the White-faced storm-petrels Pelagodroma marina, which can only be seen and photographed on our Zino’s Petrel Pelagic Expeditions.

Although the temperature is very low at this time of the year on the highest peaks of Madeira, we are just about to start Wind Birds Zino’s Night Expeditions and will run them until the end of August.

Now you are asking for Little/Barolo’s shearwaters Puffinus baroli but these are winter breeding birds in Madeira, arriving in December and migrating by May and unfortunately they are more difficult to see year after year as their population is decreasing worldwide.