Thursday, 2nd January 2025, 9:53 a.m.
Caminho Florestal da Achada, Nordeste, Nordeste, Região Autónoma dos Açores, Portugal
Julien Amsellem
58°F. Winds between 15-30 mph. Heavy fog, mist, and intermittent drizzle. Pleasant outing with Gerby in the lush forests of NE Sao Miguel. Targeting the Azores Bullfinch, the only other endemic on the Azores I haven’t seen. Despite Gerby emphasizing my minimal chance at finding the AZBU, even going as far as to suggest we cancel due to the weather, I was pushy since this was my only full day on the island. And persistence indeed did pay off! We arrived and immediately had AZBU calling from the dense forest along the road. While there was minimal success in seeing them, and few birds in general, the habitat — and moreover the weather — was magical. With some of the densest fog I’ve observed, you could see how the wind ripped through the sky, and we slowly got drenched despite minimal rain. Highlight was hearing and (briefly) seeing the AZBU but the cloud-forest-like habitat was dreamy despite the birds not being very cooperative.
9
2
43 mins
1.2 km
5Goldcrest (Sao Miguel)Regulus regulus azoricus
9Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
1European RobinErithacus rubecula
2Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
40House SparrowPasser domesticus
12Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
70Azores ChaffinchFringilla moreletti
3Azores BullfinchPyrrhula murina
*Rare and highly local endemic, restricted to the high elevation laurel forests of Nordeste on Sao Miguel. Hallelujah; extremely exciting find after Gerby told me my odds of finding the bird were almost non-existent. Priority bird of the day, and despite the horrid weather, these birds were highly vocal. Gerby and I heard these birds calling deep in the forest as soon as we got out of the car, but all of his usual spots didn’t produce visuals. Eventually, as we walked up a nearby road, I spotted one as it flushed up from near the ground. Despite poor views, I was able to see the bulky pale brown body, black squared-off tail, black and brown wings, and black cap. Disappeared immediately and did not come back out. Sadly no good views came from the rest of the day.
100Atlantic CanarySerinus canaria