The Ultimate In Birding Tours

Europe (and its islands)

MADEIRA & THE AZORES – Macaronesian endemics and seabirds in a beautiful part of the world

Tuesday 1st June – Thursday 10th June 2027

Leaders: Mark Van Beirs and the top local bird guide during the Madeira pelagics

10 Days Group Size Limit 8

MADEIRA & AZORES BIRDING TOUR: OVERVIEW

Birdquest’s Madeira & Azores birding tours are comprehensive birdwatching tours of this scenic and endemic-rich Macaronesian island. We will target the endemic and range-restricted landbirds and the seabirds, which include Zino’s and Desertas Petrels (our tour includes no fewer than three pelagic boat trips!), Bulwer’s Petrel, Barolo’s and Cory’s Shearwaters, Madeirean and Monteiro’s Storm Petrels, Trocaz Pigeon, Plain Swifdt, Berthelot’s Pipit, Madeira Firefinch, Madeira and Azores Chaffinches, Atlantic Canary and Azores Bullfinch.

The islands of Madeira offer some superb scenery, and as well as the special birds mentioned above, we will also look for some other Macaronesian endemic birds, some distinctive subspecies, some great flora and even a few endemic butterflies.

Madeira and its satellite islands lie some 800 kilometres out into the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest of Portugal, of which they are an autonomous region. Madeira was only discovered in 1419 by João Gonçalves Zarco, following on from the discovery of the smaller island of Porto Santo the previous year. Indeed, the two expeditions, which were sponsored by Portugal’s Prince Henry the Navigator, were key to the perception that it really was going to be possible to navigate far from sight of land and return safely, and that new lands and potential wealth awaited the bold explorer rather than a plunge into an abyss! They set the scene for the later discovery of the Americas and the first circumnavigation of the globe.

During our time in Madeira, we will spend some of our time exploring the spectacular verdant canyons of the main island and the remainder looking for pelagic seabirds offshore.

Madeira holds some fascinating landbirds, including the attractive endemic Trocaz Pigeon, the distinct Madeira Chaffinch and the endearing little Madeira Firecrest, as well as the Macaronesian-endemic Plain Swift, Berthelot’s Pipit and Atlantic Canary, plus other island forms not yet treated as full species but possible candidates for the future. There are also other interesting species, such as cute Grey Wagtails and smart little Spectacled Warblers.

Even more exciting is Madeira’s wealth of seabirds. Europe’s most endangered species, the relatively recently recognized Zino’s Petrel, nests in the remotest canyons on Madeira, while other species breeding in the archipelago include the recently split Desertas Petrel (split from Fea’s Petrel which breeds in the Cape Verde Islands), Bulwer’s Petrel, Cory’s Shearwater, the threatened Barolo’s Shearwater, and Madeiran Storm Petrel. We will make no fewer than three trips by boat into the waters around Madeira in order to make sure we have some great encounters.

Our visit to the far-flung Azores features two islands in this beautiful mid-Atlantic archipelago. Our prime targets are the endemic Azores Bullfinch and Azores Chaffinch, the breeding-endemic Monteiro’s Storm Petrel and a few interesting subspecies. Wew also have the opportunity to see some cetaceans amongst some superb scenery.

The mid-Atlantic Azores Islands are an autonomous region of Portugal and are part of the Macaronesian faunal subregion that also includes Madeira, the Canaries and the Cape Verde Islands.

We will begin on the island of São Miguel, where we will find the rare Azores Bullfinch, the endemic Azores Chaffinch, the endemic Azores Canary and several Azorean forms which are candidates for future splits, including the endemic Common Buzzard, the Azores subspecies of Common Wood Pigeon and the different-looking Goldcrest.

We will then make our way to the charming island of Terceira. Our reason for visiting this island is to look for the recently recognised Monteiro’s Storm Petrel, and we will have the opportunity to make two boat trips to look for this species, and we have an excellent chance of finding them, as well as Cory’s Shearwaters, some interesting cetaceans and perhaps a rare seabird or two.

Birdquest has been operating tours to the islands since 1995.

This tour can be combined with CANARY ISLANDS

Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels are of a good standard. Road transport is by minibus/passenger van and roads are good.

Walking: The walking effort during our Madeira & Azores birding tour isgenereally easy (although we will have an optional night walk to listen for Zino’s Petrel, which is not easy).

Climate: In Madeira, it is typically warm and mostly sunny in coastal areas, but it is regularly cool and overcast in the mountains. There may be some rain, with the chances highest in the mountains.

Bird Photography: Opportunities during our Madeira & Azores birding tour are very good.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

  • Enjoying a special series of pelagic trips to witness Madeira’s rich seabird life
  • Close views of Desertas and Zino’s Petrels, allowing both to be identified confidently at sea
  • Bulwer’s Petrels and Cory’s Shearwaters in great numbers
  • Great chances for storm petrels such as European, Wilson's, Band-rumped [Madeiran] and possibly even White-faced Storm Petrel
  • A good chance of rarer seabirds including Barolo & Great Shearwater or something very rare such as Black-capped Petrel
  • Encounters with some exciting cetaceans with possibilities including several dolphin species, Short-finned Pilot Whale and mighty Bryde's Whales
  • Time to enjoy the scenic and mountainous interior of the island, complete with amazing flora and endemic butterflies
  • Confiding endemic Trocaz Pigeons, tame Madeira Chaffinches and cute Madeira Firecrests in the lush laurel forests
  • Other Macaronesian bird specialities such as Plain Swift, Berthelot’s Pipit and Atlantic Canary as well as Spectacled Warbler and several distinct endemic subspecies
  • Visiting the remote and dramatic islands of São Miguel and Tereceira in the Azorean Archipelago, way out in the Atlantic Ocean
  • Exploring the verdant forests of Pico da Vara in search of one of Europe’s rarest endemics, the Azores Bullfinch or Priolo as it is known locally
  • Finding the endemic Azores Chaffinch and other interesting species including Roseate Tern and Atlantic Canary and a series of endemic subspecies
  • Taking two pelagics from the tranquil island of Terceira in search of the rarely-seen Monteiro’s Storm Petrel
  • Numerous Cory’s Shearwaters and a chance of other rarer seabirds including Bulwer’s Petrel, Barolo's Shearwater and perhaps even Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel
  • Encountering cetaceans which may even include the huge Sperm Whale

OUTLINE ITINERARY

  • Day 1: Afternoon tour start at Funchal airport. Drive to Machico for overnight.
  • Days 2-5: Exploring Madeira, including a series of three pelagic boat trips for seabirds. Overnights at Machico.
  • Day 6: Drive to Funchal airport. Fly to Ponta Delgada on São Miguel island in the Azores.
  • Day 7: São Miguel island: Azores Bullfinch and more.
  • Days 8-9: Flight to Terceira, for a two nights stay. Pelagic boat trips.
  • Day 10: Morning tour end.

To see a larger map, click on the square-like ‘enlarge’ icon in the upper right of the map box.

To see (or hide) the ‘map legend’, click on the icon with an arrow in the upper left of the map box.

To change to a satellite view, which is great for seeing the physical terrain (and for seeing really fine details by repetitive use of the + button), click on the square ‘map view’ icon in the lower left corner of the ‘map legend’.

PRICE INFORMATION

Birdquest Inclusions: Our tour prices include surface transportation, accommodations, meals and entrance fees.

We also include all tipping for accommodation/restaurant staff.

We also include the following flights in our tour price:

Madeira (Funchal)-Ponta Delgada

Ponta Delgada-Terceira

Deposit: 20% of the total tour price. Our office will let you know what deposit amount is due, in order to confirm your booking, following receipt of your online booking form.

TO BOOK THIS TOUR: Click here (you will need the tour dates)


2027: provisional prices £3350, $4240, €4050, AUD6740. Funchal/Terceira.

Single Supplement: 2027: £370, $470, €450, AUD740.

The single supplement will not apply if you indicate on booking that you prefer to share a room and there is a room-mate of the same sex available.

This tour is priced in Euros. Amounts shown in other currencies are indicative.

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency will be pleased to arrange your air travel on request, or you may arrange this yourself if you prefer.

MADEIRA & AZORES BIRDING TOUR: DETAILED ITINERARY

Madeira & Azores: Day 1  Our Madeira birding tour begins this afternoon at Funchal airport, from where we will proceed to the quiet and attractive coastal town of Machico for a five-night stay

(Funchal is served by direct flights from Lisbon, London and many other cities.)

Cory’s Shearwaters (now treated as a separate species to Scopoli’s Shearwater that breeds in the Mediterranean) nest above the hotel, and in the evening, they can be seen flying over, uttering their strange cries.

Madeira & Azores: Days 2-5  Madeira’s star attraction is its breeding seabirds, and our stay on Madeira is designed to give us time to conduct enough pelagic trips to give us an excellent chance of finding all of the key seabirds and to make sure we really get great views of the key species. Our days will be structured around these pelagics, and we intend to conduct three, which will run from mid-afternoon until dusk, and there is a contingency day to account for a day when conditions are unsuitable (too windy or even too calm!). The rest of the time we have to recuperate between pelagics and also to explore the lush interior of the island.

During our time at sea, we will be prioritising the two endemic breeding Pterodroma petrels, a group that is always exciting to see! The endangered, breeding-endemic Zino’s Petrel was only relatively recently recognized as a distinct species, and indeed, all three forms (this along with Desertas and Fea’s Petrels) were formerly lumped with Soft-plumaged Petrel of the Southern Oceans. Thanks to careful studies by the Zino family, its specific status and ecology were discovered. It is now reduced to a tiny population of perhaps 80 pairs, which breed high in the remote central mountains of the interior of Madeira, where conservation measures (such as restricting rats in the area of the colonies) have helped to stabilise the population. With the specialist local knowledge of our guides, we will put our boat into the path of the birds returning to their remaining colonies, and we can expect good views of the ultra-rare seabird!

The arid Desertas, stark rocky scraps of land almost devoid of vegetation situated to the southeast of Madeira, are now free from rats and goats after an eradication campaign and set to enjoy a massive increase in the number of breeding seabirds. These rugged islands are a spectacular sight, rising steeply from the ocean like bare mountain tops that seemingly might have emerged from the depths just yesterday. Not far offshore, the floor of the Atlantic is over 1000m deep, and seabirds gather where there are upwellings along the edge of the much shallower shelf that connects the Desertas to Madeira. Off the island of Bugio, we should see good numbers of Desertas Petrels, a species (now also treated as distinct from Fea’s or Cape Verde Petrel) that breeds only on the Desertas, admiring their rapid, bounding flight action that gave rise to the name ‘gadfly petrel’ for the genus Pterodroma.

During our boat trips, we should also encounter 100s of Cory’s Shearwaters and good numbers of Bulwer’s Petrels, both often at close range. Madeiran Storm Petrel also nests in the Madeira group, and we have a good chance of encountering this species, although they can sometimes be difficult to find. Splitting the Madeiran Storm Petrel may occur in the future, and there are both summer and winter breeding populations in the Madeira group. With a bit of good fortune, we will also see the fast-declining Barolo’s Shearwater, a species now restricted to this part of the North Atlantic following the taxonomic reorganization of the ‘Little Shearwater’ complex, as well as small numbers of Manx Shearwaters, and we may also come across less regular species such as Great Shearwater and the attractive White-faced Storm Petrel, and maybe the odd rarity such as a South Polar Skua. Numerous gulls will also be attracted to the chum, mostly the atlantis form of the Yellow-legged Gull, but with a few over-summering immature Lesser Black-backed Gulls. As we will be using chum throughout the pelagics, the views of many of the seabirds can be excellent, and many of the species that would, at best, be dots from land can give excellent photographic opportunities.

Cetaceans are sometimes sighted, with the most frequently encountered species being Atlantic Spotted, Short-beaked Common and Common Bottle-nosed Dolphins, but we also have a reasonable chance of larger species such as Short-finned Pilot Whales or even Bryde’s Whales. Madeira is supposedly one of the best places in the world to see this rare baleen whale up close.

During our time on land, we will explore the attractive interior of the island of Madeira, which well deserves its reputation as a beautiful, verdant, easy-going, subtropical hideaway far out into the Atlantic. Here, everything seems to grow with a greater profusion than on the mainland, and the riot of greenery and wildflowers adds to the feeling that one has reached an island especially favoured by nature. To our west, a wall of peaks loom high above Funchal, the capital and the only town of any size. Rising almost straight out of the Atlantic, the volcanic mountains of Madeira reach 1862m at Pico Ruivo, the island’s highest point, and the deep, precipitous canyons that have formed over aeons of time make Madeira’s scenery something really spectacular. Whilst on dry land, we will explore a number of spectacular areas where pockets of the impressive native laurel forests survive, such as the dramatic canyon at Ribeiro Frio. Here, as we walk along a path next to a ‘levada’, one of the many small irrigation canals painstakingly built along the sides of Madeira’s canyons to take water to cultivatable areas, we shall enjoy some of the finest views on the island (with the highest peaks of the island towering above us, providing it is clear).

The three endemic landbirds are relatively easy to find, and indeed, the Trocaz Pigeon can now even be seen in Funchal. It should be easy for us to see and photograph this impressive beast alongside the diminutive Madeira Firecrest which is itself a delightful and fearless little bird. The Madeira Chaffinch is one of the most abundant birds on the island and you will often find a few trying to eat the food out your hand! We will also hope to find the local forms (either endemic to Madeira or Macaronesia) of various species, such as Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Blackcap (there is an uncommon dark morph of the local subspecies), Common Blackbird and Grey Wagtail.

We will also explore the highest parts of the island around the spectacular Pico do Arieiro. Here the views down into the incredibly deep and precipitous canyons are truly amazing. In this area, we will look for some more special birds, including two more Macaronesian endemics, Plain Swift (which often flies by at eye level) and Berthelot’s Pipit. Also found here is the Atlantic form of Spectacled Warbler, as well as introduced Red-legged Partridges and some spectacular flora, including endemic orchids and the amazing Pride of Madeira, an endemic Echium.

In the coastal plains, closer to our base, we will find another Macaronesian endemic, the smart Atlantic Canary, whilst, in the arid plains at the east of the island, we may also encounter Rock Sparrow, a species which is far more common on the adjacent island of Porto Santo.

For those who wish, we will also make a nocturnal pilgrimage to Pico de Areiro to listen for the Zino’s Petrel near their breeding colony. The weird bubbling hoots are somewhat reminiscent of a Tawny Owl, and in the right conditions, we may even glimpse the birds flying over us in the moonlight. It is quite an eerie and atmospheric experience! We can also make an attempt to see the endemic form of the Western Barn Owl, although they are not always easy to find!

Other common and widespread species on the island include Grey Heron, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Eurasian Collared Dove, European Robin and European Goldfinch.

For those who are interested in other aspects of natural history, there will be ample opportunity to explore during our downtime between the pelagics. Indeed just during our birding walks, we are likely to encounter much of the endemic flora, endemic butterflies such as Madeiran Grayling, Madeiran Cleopatra and Madeiran Speckled Wood, the endemic Madeiran Wall Lizard. All in all, we will make the most of what is on offer on this lovely island.

Madeira & Azores: Day 6  Today, we will fly from Funchal Airport to Ponta Delgada on the island of São Miguel in the Azores. We will be staying on São Miguel for two nights. We should be able to fit in some birding at one end of the journey or the other.

Madeira & Azores: Day 7  São Miguel is the largest and most varied of the nine islands that make up the Azores, and the closest to Portugal, which lies 1400 kilometres to the east. The Azores are known as ‘The Garden Islands of the Atlantic’ and, like most mid-Atlantic islands, are volcanic in origin. The verdant island of São Miguel, which is dotted with the picturesque villages of this largely farming and fishing community, has some spectacular volcanic calderas with brightly coloured lakes, but it is the luxuriant vegetation that makes the biggest impression and not least the ubiquitous banks of blue Hydrangeas.

The highest peak is the 1103m Pico da Vara at the eastern end of the island, and it is this area that holds the remnants of the once-extensive native shrub forest of the island, a mosaic of tree heather, juniper and laurel. Here survives one of Europe’s most threatened birds, the Azores Bullfinch (or Priolo as it is called locally). The remaining population numbers as few as 300 individuals, restricted to what is left of the native vegetation. The other endemic landbird we will encounter here is the Azores Chaffinch, recently recognised as a full species.

Other birds of particular interest on the island include the beautiful Roseate Tern, Atlantic Canary and the Azorean forms of the Common Buzzard, Common Wood Pigeon, Grey Wagtail, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Goldcrest, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Starling as well as the atlantis form of the Yellow-legged Gull (known as Azorean Gull), several of which are candidates for splitting.

Additional species we are likely to see on São Miguel include Common Tern,  European Goldfinch and the introduced Common Waxbill, but perhaps we will find a rare Nearctic vagrant or two!

Madeira & Azores: Day 8  This morning, we will take a flight from Punta Delgada to the charming island of Terceira, situated in the northwest of the archipelago, for a two-night stay.

Terceira is home to a population of the recently recognised Monteiro’s Storm Petrel (a member of the Band-rumped Storm Petrel group), and this will be our prime reason for visiting the island. We will have our first opportunity to go to sea today, and there is a good chance our chum will pull in a few of these poorly-known petrels.

Madeira & Azores: Day 9  Today, we will have another opportunity to go to sea, again targeting Monteiro’s Storm Petrel if we failed to find it yesterday. Cory’s Shearwaters are likely to be present in numbers, and other species likely include Roseate and Common Terns and ‘Atlantic’ Yellow-legged Gulls. There is also a chance of a scarcer species such as Sooty Shearwater,  the rare Barolo’s Shearwater or Bulwer’s Petrel, and other rarities are always possible. Even Swinhoe’s Petrel has been recorded on pelagics here in the past!

In recent years, one or two Sooty Terns have been present in the tern colony on the Ilhéu da Praia, and so we will be keeping a lookout for this handsome species, a rarity in Western Palearctic seas.

We will also focus some of our attention on cetaceans. A number of species occur here, ranging from Common and Spotted Dolphins right up to the huge Sperm Whale, though it is, of course, quite unpredictable which species will be seen on any given day. Few land birds are present, and most overlap with those we will have seen on São Miguel, although Terceira is a good island on which to see the endemic subspecies of Common Quail.

Madeira & Azores: Day 10  Our Madeira & Azores birding tour ends this morning at Terceira airport.

(From Terceira, there are direct flights to Lisbon.)

MADEIRA TOUR REPORT 2024

by Diedert Koppenol

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MADEIRA TOUR REPORT 2021

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Other 'Western Palearctic' birding tours by Birdquest include: