Zino's Petrel Pelagic Expedition

Three afternoons at sea chumming to ID and photograph Zino's, Fea's and Bulwer’s Petrels, White-faced, Madeiran and other Storm-petrels. The ultimate Western Palearctic pelagic trip!

 

Madeira Pelagics Highlights

• Great and close views of Petrels, Storm-Petrels and Shearwaters
• Marine Mammals often visit us while drifting for seabirds
• The crew are ornitologists dedicated to the conservation of Zino's Petrels
• These trips originated from the research of Hadoram Shirihai and Wind Birds
• The quest for "Snowy-winged Petrel" seen only on research trips

Pelagics Videos

Pelagics Tours

This is a package of three long afternoons of a pelagic adventure on the Western North Atlantic Ocean, around Madeira Island. An ultimate birdwatching experience that consists in observing closely the greatest number of tubenoses on the Western Palearctic and some close encounters with whales and dolphins too.

Finally, Madeira has real pelagic trips run by birdwatchers for birdwatchers! Three days of ultimate pelagic expedition focused on Petrels, Storm-petrels, Shearwaters and any other vagrant bird species that might be around the North Atlantic Ocean.

Since 2008 Madeira Wind Birds, together with Hadoram Shirihai, have been researching Madeira sea to find the hot spots for seabirds as Zino's Petrels, Fea's/Desertas Petrels, Madeiran Petrel and White-faced Storm Petrel. During these long days at sea, they developed the chum technique, found the right and safest boat for this kind of trips and .... Now Catarina and Hugo, from Wind Birds, are the most experienced team to organise and run deep sea pelagic trips in the North Atlantic and the 11-meter rigid-hulled inflatable boat, Oceanodroma, the best boat ever used for this kind of sea expedition.

On the first two afternoons of this pelagic expedition around Madeira Island, we will search for different bird species at different hot spots, being one day for Zino's Petrels and Madeiran Storm Petrels while on the second pelagic trip we look for Fea's Petrels and White-faced Storm Petrels. The third afternoon at sea is kept for missing species or to increase the sightings of bird species. Every day we will look for cetaceans, and if we spot any whales or dolphins, we will spend some time watching them.

Below is a list of pelagic birds and sea mammals seen during Wind Birds pelagic trips (Madeira Seawatching), since 2010:

Procellariidae: Zino's Petrel Pterodroma madeira, Fea's Petrel Pterodroma feae/deserta, Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis, Macaronesian Shearwater Puffinus baroli, Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii, Cory's Shearwater Calonectris borealis, Scopoli's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea, Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus, Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus, Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis, Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus

Hydrobatidae: Madeiran Storm Petrel Oceanodroma castro (winter & summer populations), European Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus, Swinhoe's Storm Petrel Oceanodroma monorhis, Wilson's Storm Petrel Oceanites oceanicus, Leach's Storm Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa, White-faced Storm Petrel Pelagodroma marina, Black-bellied Storm Petrel Fregetta tropica (1st Record for the Western Palearctic)

Laridae: Sabine's Gull Xema sabini, Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis, Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea, Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii, Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis, Common Tern Sterna hirundo

Stercorariidae: Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus, Great Skua Stercorarius skua, Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus, Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus, South Polar Skua Stercorarius maccormicki

Scolopacidae: Grey Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius

Sulidae: Northern Gannet Morus bassanus, Brown Booby Sula leucogaster

Mammalia: Mediterranean Monk Seal Monachus monachus, Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus, Bryde's Whale Balaenoptera edeni, Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus, Northen Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata, Cuvier's Beaked Whale Ziphius cavirostris, Blainville's Beaked Whale Mesoplodon densirostris, Gervais' Beaked Whale Mesoplodon europaeus, Short-finned Pilot Whale Globicephala macrorhynchus, Common Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus, Atlantic Spotted Dolphin Stenella frontalis, Striped Dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba, Short-beaked Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis

Note that some of these bird species are rarely seen in the Western Palearctic or even in the North Atlantic Ocean making these pelagic expeditions so special and memorable!

Peter Harrison's Review

Click here if you are interested in our Pelagics and get more information!

Madeira Pelagics 2019

•   May 1, 2, 3 (confirmed trip; accepting bookings) 🇩🇪 🇬🇧 🇯🇵
•   May 22, 23, 24 (confirmed trip; only 2 place available to book) 🇩🇪 🇺🇸
•   June 11, 12, 13 (accepting bookings)
•   June 19, 20, 21 (fully booked) 🇬🇧
•   June 25, 26, 27 (confirmed trip; accepting bookings) 🇬🇧
•   July 31, August 1, 2 (confirmed trip; accepting bookings) 🇩🇪 🇬🇧
•   August 22, 23, 24 (accepting bookings)
•   More dates available by request. The flags represent the birdwatchers nationalities already booked.

2018 Pelagics Trip Reports

•   May 23, 24, 25 🇧🇷 🇩🇪 🇪🇸 🇬🇧 Trip Report
•   June 20, 21, 22 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 🇬🇧 Trip Report
•   June 26, 27, 28 🇬🇧 Trip Report
•   July 3, 4, 5 🇬🇧 Trip Report
•   July 25, 26, 27 🇧🇪 🇫🇷 🇸🇪 Trip Report
•   August 1, 2, 3 🇩🇪 🇬🇧 🇯🇵 🇳🇱 🇺🇸 Trip Report
•   August 23,24, 25 🇨🇭 🇫🇮 🇸🇪 Trip Report

2017 Pelagics Trip Reports

•   May 9, 10, 11 🇨🇦 🇩🇪 🇺🇸 Trip Report
•   May 24, 25, 26 🇧🇪 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 🇬🇧 🇳🇱 Trip Report
•   June 6, 7, 8 🇩🇪 🇬🇧 🇵🇹 Trip Report
•   June 26, 27, 28 🇬🇧 Trip Report
•   July 12, 13, 14 🇬🇧 🇱🇺 Trip Report
•   July 25, 26, 27 🇧🇪 🇪🇸 🇬🇧 Trip Report
•   August 1, 2, 3 🇩🇪 🇩🇰 🇬🇧 🇳🇱 🇸🇪 Trip Report
•   August 23, 24, 25 🇩🇪 🇬🇧 🇳🇱 🇸🇪 Trip Report

2016 Pelagics Trip Reports

•   May 9, 10, 11 🇦🇺 🇩🇪 🇬🇧 Trip Report
•   May 26, 27, 28 🇫🇷 🇬🇧 🇭🇺 🇺🇸 Trip Report
•   June 7, 9, 10 🇬🇧 🇸🇪 Trip Report
•   June 13, 14, 15 🇩🇪 🇬🇧 Trip Report
•   June 28, 29, 30 🇪🇸 🇬🇧 Trip Report
•   July 26, 27, 28 🇧🇪 🇫🇮 🇫🇷 🇬🇧 Trip Report
•   August 2, 3, 4 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 Trip Report
•   August 23, 24, 25 🇦🇺 🇩🇰 🇪🇸 🇬🇧 Trip Report

Related Seawatching Articles

Birdguides: Madeira pelagics and endemics
Madeira – Pelagic heaven
Madeira by Olli Tenovuo
Wind Bird's Zino's Petrel Expedition by Kirk Zufelt
Zino's petrels in the flesh! by Brent Stephenson
Pterodroma Heaven! by Chris Townend
Zino's Petrel at Sea by Andy Paterson
Madeira 2010 (Zino's Petrel Pelagic Expedition) by Paco Chiclana
buscando el Petrel de Zino by Andy Paterson

Previous Years Pelagics Trip Reports

September 2, 3, 5 2015; August 24, 25, 27 2015; August 17, 18, 19 2015; August 4, 5, 6 2015; July 28, 29, 30 2015; June 23, 25, 26 2015; June 16, 17, 18 2015; June 8, 9, 12 2015; June 2, 3, 4 2015; May 26, 27, 28 2015; April 25, 27, 28 2015

August 26, 27, 28 2014; August 12, 13, 14 2014; August 5, 6, 7 2014; July 29, 30, 31 2014; June 24, 25, 26 2014; June 17, 18, 19 2014; May 27, 28, 29 2014

August 26, 27, 28 2013; August 9, 10, 12 2013; July 30, 31, August 2 2013; June 25, 26, 27 2013; May 28, 29, 30 2013

August 28, 29, 30 2012; August 22, 23, 24 2012; August 10, 11, 13 2012; August 6, 7, 8 2012; August 1, 2, 3 2012; July 23, 24, 25 2012; July 10, 11, 12 2012; June 12, 13, 14 2012; June 4, 5, 6 2012; May 28, 29, 30 2012; May 22, 23, 24 2012

August 29, 30, 31 2011; August 8, 9, 10 2011; August 4, 5, 6 2011; June 29, 30, July 1 2011; June 6, 7, 8 2011; May 30, 31, June 1 2011; May 23, 24, 25 2011; May 18, 19, 20 2011

Aug 30, 31 & Sept 1, 3 2010; August 5, 6, 7 2010; June 7, 8, 9 2010; June 2, 3, 4 2010; May 24, 25, 27 2010; May 14, 15, 16 2010; The Ultimate WP Pelagic Expedition by Hadoram Shirihai 2010

Expedition diary by Hadoram Shirihai 2009

Tour days: Refer to Description
Departure times: 2h15 pm
Typical duration: 8 hours on each of the 3 days

Space: maximum 9
Staff to Guest ratio^?: 1:4
Tour Languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese

Pick up location: On request, subject to crew times
Return details: On request, subject to crew times

Friendly advices: Take warm and impermeable clothes (trousers, jacket and shoes), hat, sunscreen and water. Sleep well on the nights before these trips and eat well before departing to the sea, these are fundamental conditions to spend a nice day out at sea. Try to stay 2 more days in Madeira after your pelagic expedition dates as we might need to postpone the trips due to bad weather. And remember rough sea is the best for Petrels!

Photography: Allowed and recommended. There is a possibility of getting salt water spray on your equipment during the trip to and from the spot, so bring waterproof bag for it.

Do you have any doubts or questions? Visit the FAQ Section or contact us.