THE AZORES, MADEIRA & THE CANARY ISLANDS

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1 1 Birdquest Detailed Tour Description: The Azores, Madeira & The Canary Islands THE AZORES, MADEIRA & THE CANARY ISLANDS Macaronesian Endemics, Seabirds & Cetaceans Saturday 14th May Thursday 26th May 2011 (13 days) Leaders: Tony Clarke and assistant Group Size Limit: 12 The islands of the Azores, Madeira and the Canaries offer some superb scenery and a series of exciting avian endemics (the number steadily increasing through recent splitting ) and other specialities, including some great seabirds, not to mention the cetaceans. First we will visit the far-flung Azores Islands in mid-atlantic, an autonomous region of Portugal. The Azores are part of the Macaronesian faunal subregion that also includes Madeira, the Canaries and the Cape Verde Islands. Here, on the island of San Miguel, we will find the rare Azores Bullfinch, which is now recognized as a full species, plus Atlantic Canary and several Azorean forms which are candidates for future splits, including Atlantis Gull. Further west, off the dramatic island of Pico, an active volcano, we will take to the sea in search of the huge Sperm Whale, Shortfinned Pilot Whale, beaked whales and several species of dolphins. Next we will explore the island of Madeira and Azores Bullfinch (Nik Borrow) its satellite islands, which lie some 800 kilometres out into the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest of Portugal, of which they are another 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. Madeira holds some fascinating landbirds, including the endemic Trocaz (or Long-toed) Pigeon and Madeiran Kinglet, and the Macaronesian-endemic Plain Swift and Berthelot s Pipit, plus other island forms not yet treated as full species but likely candidates for the future. Even more exciting is Madeira s wealth of seabirds. Europe s most endangered species, the relatively recently split Zino s (or Madeira) Petrel, nests in the remotest canyons on Madeira, while other species breeding in the archipelago include Fea s (or Cape Verde) and Bulwer s Petrels, Cory s Shearwater and Madeiran Storm-petrel. During our time in Madeira we will spend some of our time exploring the spectacular verdant canyons of the main island and the remainder taking a pelagic out of Funchal to the wild and arid Desertas islands. Finally we will explore the Canary Islands. Said by the ancient Greeks to be the remnants of the lost kingdom of Atlantis, where paradise on earth could still be found, this sun-drenched group of islands is situated just north of the Tropic of Cancer not far from the coast of North Africa. The original inhabitants were the Guanches, a sturdy Cro- Magnon people with blue eyes and fair hair, and the islands derive their name from the Latin word for dog, canis, of which there were apparently many. Their wonderful climate has earned the Canary Islands their modern reputation as the Garden of Europe, a place where flowers and vegetables can be grown in the depths of the European winter. The volcanic origin of the islands is made evident by the presence of huge tracts of solidified lava, volcanic cones and extinct calderas, whilst steaming fumaroles betray continuing activity in the bowels of the earth. The trade winds bring cloud and rain to the western islands, which are covered with lush, primeval laurel forests on their northern slopes, whilst the eastern islands are much drier and desert-like, with only scrubby vegetation. The isolation of the Atlantic Islands has favoured the evolution of endemic forms, most derived from colonists from Europe, and the Canary Islands are renowned for the occurrence of no less than eight endemic bird species; Laurel Pigeon, Bolle s Pigeon, Canary Islands (or Tenerife) Robin, Canary Islands (or Fuerteventura) Stonechat, Canary Islands Chiffchaff, Canary Islands Kinglet, Canary Islands Blue Tit and Blue Chaffinch. Not only do the Canaries have this superb selection of unique birds but they also harbour one of the healthiest surviving populations of Houbara Bustard as well as Barbary Falcon, Barbary Partridge, Cream-coloured Courser, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Lesser Short-toed Lark and Trumpeter Finch. Last but not least the islands offer visitors some excellent seabirding, with Little Shearwater being easier to see than off Madeira. Birdquest has been operating tours to the islands since 1995.

2 2 Birdquest Detailed Tour Description: The Azores, Madeira & The Canary Islands Itinerary Day 1 Late morning flight from London bound for Ponta Delgada on the island of São Miguel. We will arrive in the early evening for a two nights stay. Cory s Shearwaters (here of the Atlantic form borealis, sometimes now treated as a full species) nest on the headland just by the hotel and in the evening they can be seen flying in to visit their burrows over the hotel gardens, uttering their strange cries. Day 2 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 which 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 Trocaz (or Long-toed) Pigeons (Tony Disley) 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), now widely regarded as a full species. The remaining population numbers as few as 300 individuals, restricted to what is left of the native vegetation. We will of course be concentrating our efforts on this special bird, but other birds of particular interest on the island include Roseate Tern, Atlantic Canary and the Azorean forms of the Common Buzzard, Common Wood Pigeon, Grey Wagtail, Common Blackbird, Goldcrest and Common Chaffinch, as well as the atlantis form of the Yellow-legged Gull (known as Atlantis Gull), several of which are candidates for splitting. Other species we are likely to see on São Miguel include Common Tern, Rock Dove, European Robin, Blackcap, Common Starling, House Sparrow and European Goldfinch. Day 3 A short morning flight will take us westwards to the scatter of islands that make up the western Azores. Our destination is surely the most impressive of all the Azores, the dramatic island of Pico, where we will spend the night at the small town of Madalena. Pico is 42 kilometres in length and is the second largest of the Azores, but it its scenery that makes the island special. Pico Grande, a still-active volcano that vents volcanic vapours on a regular basis, towers to 2351m above the western part of Pico and from the sea one can soon appreciate that the entire island is the top of a huge, broadly conical, volcanic mountain, of truly Himalayan proportions, rising from the Atlantic floor. This afternoon we will make a whale watching excursion off the south coast of the island, where we have a very good chance of encountering one or more huge Sperm Whales. We may be able to approach one of these leviathans closely as it wallows on the surface in between making enormously deep dives, to depths of m, or even 1000m or more, in search of squid, its primary food. Eventually, after taking that last deep breath, the whale will dive and those huge and characteristic tail flukes will rise almost vertically into the air, shedding water as they go, before that final plunge into the abyss. Without doubt an awesome experience. Other species regularly seen on the trips include Short-finned Pilot Whale, Short-beaked Common Dolphin, Common Bottle-nosed Dolphin and Risso s Dolphin, while if we are really in luck we will come across a beaked whale or one of the great baleen whales. Day 4 After another whale watching excursion off Pico we will return to Ponta Delgada for an overnight stay. Day 5 We will take a morning flight eastwards to Madeira for a three nights stay at Funchal. In the afternoon we will have our first opportunity to explore this beautiful and spectacular island. Days 6-7 The island of Madeira 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. 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 to 1862m at Pico Ruivo, the island s highest point, and the deep, precipitous canyons that have formed over eons of time make Madeira s scenery something really spectacular. As we explore the dramatic canyon at Ribeiro Frio, where we will 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 in the island Zino s Petrel (Nik Borrow)

3 3 Birdquest Detailed Tour Description: The Azores, Madeira & The Canary Islands (with the highest peaks of the island towering above us, providing it is clear). Here we will be looking out for the endemic Trocaz (or Long-toed) Pigeon, as well as Madeiran Kinglet (formerly treated as a race of Firecrest), plus the Madeiran forms of the Grey Wagtail and Common Chaffinch (the latter a potential split), European Robin, Common Blackbird and Blackcap. At Funchal, or elsewhere along the coastal strip, we can expect to see three Macaronesian endemics, Plain Swift, Berthelot s Pipit and Atlantic Canary, as well as Atlantis Gull. In addition we should find Common Kestrel, Common Tern, Spanish and Rock Sparrows, and European Goldfinch. During our visit to Madeira we will make an exciting pelagic trip out into the waters between Funchal and the arid Desertas group of islands, situated to the southeast of the main island. The arid Desertas, stark rocky scraps of land almost devoid of vegetation, are now probably free from rats and goats after an eradication campaign and so 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 deeps just yesterday. Not far offshore the floor of the Atlantic is over 1000m deep and seabirds gather where there are Fea s or Cape Verde Petrels (Craig Robson) upwellings along the edge of the much shallower shelf that connects the Desertas to the main island. Here we should find good number s of Fea s (or Cape Verde) Petrels, a species that breeds only on the Desertas and in the Cape Verde Islands, admiring their rapid, bounding flight action that gave rise to the name gadfly petrel for the genus Pterodroma. We should also encounter numerous Cory s Shearwaters and good numbers of Bulwer s Petrels. Little Shearwater and Madeiran Storm-petrel also nest in the islands, but we only have a modest chance of encountering either. We should be able to obtain permission to land on Deserta Grande, and in this case we will have the opportunity to see both Cory s Shearwater and Bulwer s Petrel in their burrows. The endangered endemic Zino s (or Madeira) Petrel, only relatively recently recognized as a species distinct from Fea s Petrel (and indeed both forms were, until recently, lumped with Soft-plumaged Petrel of the Southern Oceans), thanks to the careful studies of the Zinos, is now reduced to a tiny and perhaps declining population. Reliable field identification criteria for this more lightly-built and on average smaller-billed version of Fea s that can be used in average conditions are not yet established, so while we shall certainly be hoping for a remarkably close and sustained view during the pelagic that would clinch the bird s identity, in view of the species rarity and the fact that views of individual Pterodromas are not usually that close or that sustained, we had better not hold out much hope. We will, however, be able to arrange one or more nocturnal visits to one of its few breeding sites, in the inaccessible canyons of the interior of Madeira, where we have a very good chance of hearing the birds and indeed seeing them as they pass close by, although they are unlikely to be seen well as spotlighting them is, understandably, not allowed! Visiting this wild and rugged terrain at night (fortunately on a fairly good path) in order to encounter one of the rarest species on earth is an experience in itself and not to be missed! Day 8 After a last morning on Madeira we will catch an early afternoon flight to Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria and from there we will fly across to Fuerteventura, one of the easternmost Canary Islands, for a two nights stay. Day 9 After the verdant landscape of Madeira we will have to get used to the sandy, almost Saharan vistas of Fuerteventura, the second largest island in the Canary Islands group. The North African coast is a mere 110 kilometres away and consequently the climate is very dry (even sandstorms are by no means exceptional). During the summer months the scorching Harmatan sometimes blows straight from the heart of the Sahara desert. Tectonic activity has shaped the landscape here as well, and the looming presence of extinct volcanoes is a telltale reminder of past turmoil. Small white villages fringed with palm trees and hedges of prickly pears enhance the impression that we might be in the North African Maghreb. Holiday villages have mushroomed along the wide white beaches, but we will spend most of our time exploring the nearly deserted hinterland. Fuerteventura is the only place in the world where the dainty Canary Islands (or Fuerteventura) Stonechat occurs. Looking rather like a cross between a Common Stonechat and a Whinchat (although which species it evolved from remains uncertain), this attractive little bird mainly inhabits the dry rocky gorges, known locally as barrancos, but it can also be found wherever dry scrub offers a suitable nesting site. Like most chats they perch conspicuously out in the open and particularly favour the peculiar-looking euphorbias. The island is also well known for its healthy population of Houbara Bustards, a species which is now threatened with extinction by hunting pressure across most of its range from north Africa through the Middle East to Central Asia. Luckily, Arab falconers are not allowed to slaughter these magnificent creatures here, so their future prospects look quite hopeful. Canary Islands Stonechat (Nik Borrow)

4 4 Birdquest Detailed Tour Description: The Azores, Madeira & The Canary Islands With the splitting off of the eastern form macqueenii, found from Sinai eastwards, as Macqueen s Bustard, and faced with the difficulty in seeing this critically endangered species in North Africa, seeing the real Houbara Bustard increasingly means going to Fuerteventura. Elegant but well-camouflaged Cream-coloured Coursers and large-eyed Stone Curlews share the same habitat and we may well encounter small numbers of Black-bellied Sandgrouse. Small flocks of Trumpeter Finches forage in the most desolate areas, often accompanied by Lesser Short-toed Larks and the ubiquitous Berthelot s Pipit. Hedges of introduced agave hold Spectacled Warblers and offer hiding places for Barbary Partridges, whilst rock walls provide shelter for Barbary Ground Squirrels. Egyptian Vultures soar over the dry plains and Southern Grey Shrikes perch prominently on wires or tall euphorbia bushes. The local subspecies of Common Raven looks surprisingly small and its call sounds quite different from that of North European birds. Day 10 After spending the morning on Fuerteventura we will fly across to the island of Tenerife for a three nights stay. Days Tenerife, with its peculiar triangular shape, is the largest of the Canary Islands and is dominated by Fea s or Cape Verde Petrels (Craig Robson) the great volcanic Pico de Teide (3718m), the highest mountain in Spain. Tenerife s varied landscapes reflect the its volcanic origins. Great expanses of crinkled black lava fields, beaches of black and grey sand and the typical conical volcano shape of the mighty Teide speak for themselves. A trip across the sparsely vegetated high plateau (in fact an old crater) with its bizarrely crafted rock formations and twisted lava slabs is not unlike a voyage across the surface of the moon. Climatic differences are quite marked between the northern and southern parts of Tenerife as the northeast trade winds bring more rain to the frequently cloudwreathed north-facing slopes, whereas the south is usually drier, sunnier and windier. Tenerife is characterized by six different types of vegetation, but to birdwatchers the laurel forests of the northern slopes are the most interesting habitat. Tree heaths and several endemic species of evergreen dwarf trees, up to 10m tall, create a very special kind of primeval forest on the moist, north-facing slopes of the island that are the headquarters of the endemic Laurel Pigeon and Bolle s Pigeon. Most of the original forest has been cleared and it is only in the surviving patches on the steeper slopes and more inaccessible valleys that the pigeons can still be found. These shy denizens of the woods can best be observed from vantage points from which one can keep an eye on the tree tops down below. The Atlantic Canary, symbol of the islands, can be found here and in most other habitats, usually in small flocks. Renowned for their pretty song, they were first captured and exported to Europe as cage birds in the 15th century. Rocky crags provide breeding habitat for the distinctive local race of the Rock Dove and dense scrub harbours Sardinian Warblers. We may also encounter the dashing Barbary Falcon. Above 800m we enter open forest of the endemic Canary Islands Pine and the favourite habitat of the endemic Blue (or Canary Islands) Chaffinch. This beautiful dusky-blue finch forages in much the same way as the well known Common Chaffinch, which also occurs here in the form of a strikingly differentlooking subspecies. The endemic Canary Islands Blue Tit displays equally unusual plumage and often acts rather like a treecreeper. Endemic races of Common Buzzard, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Blackcap are also found here. The distinctive local Regulus is now widely considered a good species, Canary Islands Kinglet, after a century of prevarication as to whether it was a race of the Goldcrest or of the Firecrest, while the local robins have now been split as Canary Islands (or Tenerife) Robin and the local chiffchaffs, with their distinctive song, have now been split as Canary Islands Chiffchaff. The barren, desert-like plains of southern Tenerife are characterized by extensive stands of euphorbias, which look almost like cacti and make one feel as though one was in Arizona or New Mexico. (Small wonder then that this has been a frequent location for the shooting of western films!) The rather unobtrusive Berthelot s Pipit lives here, and Spectacled Warbler and the uncommon Rock Sparrow also prefer this desolate habitat. Spanish Sparrows are ubiquitous in the lowlands, whilst Atlantis Gulls are widely distributed along the coast. Overhead, loud screams betray the presence of Plain Swifts. The Canaries are well known for their collection of interesting petrels and shearwaters and the best way of seeing these is to take the inter-island ferries and especially the ferry that plies between Tenerife and Gomera. We will make the crossing during our second full day, looking out for both birds and sea mammals. Houbara Bustard (Tony Disley)

5 5 Birdquest Detailed Tour Description: The Azores, Madeira & The Canary Islands Cory s Shearwaters are by far the most common pelagic species and it is a real delight to study them in detail as they bank spectacularly close to the ship. The prize bird here is Little Shearwater, which we can expect to see at least one or two, along with a few Bulwer s Petrels. European Storm-petrels also breed within the archipelago and we may be able to see some of these miniscule but hardy seafarers, but Madeiran Storm-petrel and White-faced Storm-petrel are only rarely encountered. We may also see a pod of Shortfinned Pilot Whales lazing on the surface and perhaps an exuberant group of Bottlenosed Dolphins. Day 13 After a last morning on Tenerife we will catch an afternoon flight to London Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels are of a good standard throughout. Road transport is by minibus and roads are mostly good. Walking: The walking effort is mostly easy, but the optional nocturnal walk to the Zino s Petrels is over uneven and sloping ground. Climate: In the Azores and 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 chances highest in the mountains. In the Canary Islands most days are warm or hot, dry and sunny. It is sometimes cool and overcast, but prolonged rain is unlikely. Bird Photography: Opportunities are worthwhile. Tour Price: (provisional): 2910, 3434, $4802 London/London (or 2500, 2950, $4125 Ponta Delgada/Tenerife). Price includes all transportation (including all flights), all accommodations, all meals, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants, leader services. Single Room Supplement: (provisional): 336, 396, $554. Deposit: 300, 354, $495. If booking more than 12 months before departure, the initial deposit is only 150, 177, $248. Part-Tour Option: Subject to space being available, it is possible to take just the Azores, Madeira or Canary Islands section of this tour. Please contact us for further information. Linking Birdquests: This tour can be linked with Wild Spain or with Hungary, Slovakia & Transylvania. Please contact us for further information.