Rubén Barone
 ·  31 July 2023  22:29

Eduard,

Congratulations, very good photo. It's one f the best images of this species I have seen. Normally it's very difficult to obtain photos of this pigeon unless you use a hide...

Best regards. 

Diedert Koppenol
 ·  1 August 2023  10:15

Rubén

Are you sure you are talking about the same species/island as we all are? 😜 It seems you have a rather different take on the species. At Palheira Gardens, there was plenty of opportunity for nice photos, albeit that some individuals can be quite shy.

Rubén Barone
 ·  1 August 2023  11:17

Dear Diedert,

It may be that there is a very recent change in the status of the species on Madeira. At least up to 2010 it was quite difficult to obtain good photos of this pigeon in the field unless you used a hide. I know very well the avifauna of Madeira, as I have been there 15 times from the 80s to the 2010s, but sometimes birds become more common or rarer in a few years... 

Best regards. 

Diedert Koppenol
 ·  1 August 2023  11:38

Indeed it can change quickly. Nowadays, a hide is no longer necessary. 

Rubén Barone
 ·  1 August 2023  12:33

OK, interesting to know that a hide is not necessary to obtain photos of this species...

Best regards, and thanks for the information. 

Jan Hein van Steenis
 ·  1 August 2023  16:39

Hi Rubén, according to a previous thread, Trocaz Pigeon is still shy in most places (I was lucky to get a reasonable picture elsewhere). Palheiro Gardens really is the place for tame birds. The population has quadrupled since the 80s, which also helps!

Eduard Sangster
 ·  1 August 2023  20:20

Yes, this is a shy forest species but indeed this is THE place to be for this species. Enjoying a cheesecake you can make beautiful pics of this species at the lawn of the clubhouse at close range. This is not a well known site although it is mentioned in several reports since ~ 2015.

Rubén Barone
 ·  1 August 2023  22:27

Hi again.

Thanks to all.

On my next visit to Madeira (perhaps in 2024), I'll try to visit these gardens...

Best regards from the Canaries. 

Bert de Bruin
 ·  2 August 2023  08:21, gewijzigd 20 September 2023  06:47

I saw and photographed them well at the same place in august 2015. Then it was already known these gardens were a good and easy spot to see them...

Rob Poot
 ·  20 September 2023  00:51

This morning I had several pigeons in the garden, one at a few meters, but make sure you are there at 09.00 when the garden opens. After that time to many tourists and and gardeners with noisy machines spoil the fun. At the Levada dos Cedros you can hear them calling to het the picture complete.