MADEIRA MAGIC (Part.2)

Having dysoned the land lubbers we set sail and joined MadeiraWindBirds for three one day (2.30pm-9.30pm) consecutive ocean pelagics. We knew the boat was smallish but were quite surprised when we actually came face to face with it, moored in the marina where the Rock Sparrows were nesting.

''we need a bigger boat'' as Roy Scheider once famously said...

heading to a top secret location somewhere to the North East of Madeira  as discovered by Israel's finest ...

The ploy used by WindBirds is to drop a chum bomb (frozen block of fish and whatever) at said location and as the chum melts we switch off the engines and float passed/along side the chum slick. At the end of the slick we power up and head back to the chum bomb and float passed again etc etc.
The chum slick works a treat and no sooner are we drifting when the first seabirds come in for a feast.

ZINO'S PETREL

The star of the show more tickable than a glimpsed shape on a foggy mountain top

FEA'S PETREL with a BULWER'S PETREL just in shot

CORY'S SHEARWATER with a BULWER'S and the chum bomb

life on the Ocean wave

MADEIRAN PETREL

MADEIRAN PETREL

BULWER'S PETREL with Madeira in the background

The team in action

BLUE SHARK eating the chum bomb...end of birding!

Bird of the trip...WHITE FACED STORM PETREL

Mission accomplished

Trip highlights (Pelagics)

Zino's Petrel 5

Fea's Petrel 9

Pterodroma sp 14

White faced Storm Petrel 1

Madeiran Petrel 2

Bulwer's Petrel 50+

Cory's Shearwater 200+

British Storm Petrel 6

Manx Shearwater 5+

Sabine's Gull 2

Great Skua 2

Arctic Tern 1

Common Tern 1

Lbb Gull 1

Yellow legged Gull 30+

BLUE SHARK 1

LOGGERHEAD TURTLE 2

ATLANTIC SPOTTED DOLPHIN 5+

COMMON BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN 20+