The harbour in Vila do Porto, the capital of Santa Maria. In far background the ferry which traffic Maria and Miguel. Photo: Bosse Carlsson

Santa Maria has a length of 17 km, a width of 14 km, and a total area of 97 square kilometres. The island is divided into two almost equal parts by a range of volcanic peaks, with a highest point of 587 m at Pico Alto. The western dry parts consist of flat plateaus with not much higher vegetation. The more rainy eastern parts are more vegetated, with hills and mountain ridges.
   Santa Maria was in 1427 probably the first of the Azores islands to be discovered. It is the first of the Azorean islands you reach when sailing from Madeira or southern Iberian waters. The population is around 5500, most of them in Vila do Porto with the ferry harbour and the airport.

Maps
» A general map with birding localities could be viewed here»
» Download or open a detailed and resizeable map here.
» Coordinates for birdwatching sites.

Adult Sooty Tern – a most wanted WP tick. Photo: Göran Ekström

Specialties
The subspecies of Goldcrest with the scientific name Regulus r. sanctaemariae is of course an endemic to Santa Maria. Here is also the sole European breeding place for Sooty Tern, which recently has breed on Ilhéu da Vila.

Birding localities
Being the most easterly of the Azorean islands, this is a place where you should expect European or North African vagrants to turn up. This island is however one of the least visited by birdwatchers, and there is very few birds reported from here. There is however several breeding grounds for seabirds, on the main island itself or on small islets like Vila and Lagoinhas. Other places to check for birds are the harbours, the low flat fields around the airfield and the beach at Baia da Praia.

Ilhéu da Vila where Madeiran Storm-petrels breed. Photo: Bosse Carlsson

Ilhéu da Vila
About two kilometres west of Vila do Porto, and just less three hundred meters off shore is the small islet Ilhéu da Vila. You can watch it from the shore in daytime, or you can arrange for a late evening boat trip and wait for the breeding birds to arrive. If you stay in the boat just under the cliffs you may here and see the birds arrive to the island when it is getting completely dark. A good torch is necessary and it is recommended to learn the different bird calls in advance. The breeding seabirds include Bulwer´s Petrel, Madeiran Storm-Petrel, as well as Cory's and Little Shearwater.
   There is also a colony of terns with both Roseate and Common Tern, and Sooty Tern has been breeding. The Sooty Tern is known from this place from far ago, and one par or single birds have held territory most of the recent years, and even produced chicks a few times. The bird has been sighted both here and in other Azorean waters, so there seem to to be a very small but still almost regular occurence.
   Speak to "Capitano" in the harbour of Vila do Porto to arrange a boat trip.

Where to stay and getting around
Accommodation is scarce, but there are a few hotels near the airport and in Vila da Porto. There are also a few B&Bs. Since many of the birding localities can take some time to checkout, but the travel distances are rather short it is probably much better to arrange drives and pick up agreements with a taxi driver, than renting a car.