The (not) Gravel Pits: Berthelots Pipit

No.....not at the gravel pits....which is rather a shame....

Berthelots Pipit, Anthus berthelotii

Im guessing you can tell from the blue sea in the first picture that I wasnt in England.....given away if you know plants....in the top picture its sitting on a sprig of Pride of Madeira....and thats where I was.

My bird list, as you no doubt will be aware if you have visited Madeira or looked at visiting, is small. My own 'homework' prior to going showed it wasnt going to be the biggest haul of new bird species or indeed any species....but still....no complaints...it was a family holiday so birding was a backseat activity mostly.

The Pipit pictured was at Ponta do Pargo lighthouse. Not my first encounter with this species during the week but by far the best in terms of views.

The lighthouse garden is a site to check out apparently, though im guessing this is more aimed at migration time in the Spring. There was no bird activity there at all but the surrounds provided this species, a good number of Swallow and a fabulously coloured and showy male Linnet.

We found an amazingly cheap converted barn to stay in just outside Calheta....

Two double rooms....and....

...a great view....!

At 200 Euros for the week with a view like that....a bargain....people in the nearby hotels were paying anywhere from 600 to 1000 Euros for not too dissimilar views....!!

Lovely and quiet too....Canary singing just outside. Nice.

This next picture is of some nice flowers....and the gutter...though its not the gutter really....Madeira is famous for its Levada walks. Levadas are where man has controlled the water from the mountains by way of making man made 'streams'....it is directed down to the villages on each mountain, the water rushing at speed down the slopes. The locals have these dp mini levadas along the side of the road and an entrance point in to their garden for them. So they get free water for their garden. They simply dam the levada until they have got the job done.

The main species easily seen and heard were Blackbird, Canary and Blackcap....they were just aboout everywhere we went...easily seen and heard.

So...the birds I did see....and where....

After collecting the hire car first bird spotted was Kestrel. There are plenty of these around too.

At the house:
Kestrel - Feral Pigeon - Canary - Blackcap - Plain Swift - Goldfinch

Calheta Beach:
Yellow Legged Gull - Common Tern

Prazeres:
Grey Wagtail - Linnet

Sao Vicente:
House Martin

Ponta de Sao Lourenco:
Swallow - Berthelots Pipit

Machino:
Waxbill - Moorhen

Rabacal:
Robin - Chaffinch - Madeiran Firecrest

Achada da Arruda:
Buzzard

A number of these species were seen at other sites, including the listed ones, but I have listed where I saw them first.

Birds I missed.....Trocaz Pigeon. Not easy from what I have read...though easy to miss! Not many reliable places, though Rabacal was supposedly one of them....but no pigeon for me.

Spectacled Warbler. Went to a couple of reliable sites but didnt hear one let alone see one.

Rock Sparrow. Went to two reliable sites but no bird seen...or heard.

Here are a few plants:

This was growing in the lava caves by the lights they used to show the way....amazing.

dont know....

its orange....

Bird of Paradise flower....

White Cala Lily....not a great picture....had to wander up a stream to take the picture,

guessing which side of the stream it was on...and yes...I picked the wrong side....doh!

dont know....but I liked this one the best....

dont know...

flowering cactus...wow!

nice flower on that cactus

yellow flower...

Some animals:

in the house...I dont know what it is...but it looked fabulous.

Though my wife and son didnt think so!!

Chaffinch. Different looking and different sounding too. I think they have been fed by the tourists at Rabacal waterfall for a while....rather tame and happy to sit around taking food from the hand occasionally as well as eating...eek!...bread crumbs and chocolate crumbs....