Birds in Madeira

Tobi Hughes·
Madeira News

Thanks to Melvin for sending me this.

Have you noticed less birds on the island.?

I am writing to you in profound desperation, concerning the complete and utter devastation and disappearance of all the blackbirds and smaller birds in Funchal and perhaps also on the rest of the island. Our mornings and evenings are now silent except for the roar of the traffic and impatient and frustrated drivers and commuters. I am perplexed and bewildered by the almost total lack of coverage and public discussion in the media, both physical and digital. Nobody seems prepared to tackle the consequences of this problem. One such consequence will be the increase in ‘depressive’ mental disorders, believe it or not, the sound of singing birds has a positive impact on mental health, I am experiencing this problem, now, here in Funchal, São Pedro, Calçada do Pico (Fortaleza). This issue should be making headline news, we should, as a community be discussing this. The impact of a new and growing flood of tourism on this small and ‘fragile’ island will only make matters worse for the environment and ecology. Apathy on a mass scale is not the solution, it is cowardly and dangerous. If we do not do something soon we will loose everything, including ourselves. Please, please, think about this, please please engage with me and your public audience, the people of Madeira. My plea is genuinely heartfelt and humble.

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Tobi Hughes

54 Responses

  1. The only way I saw is to leave this island. My plane starts on Saturday with no return. I made this decission in July. The island is lost

    1. Goodbye Doris, perhaps you will have better luck in Lanzerote, failing that you can try another fairly tale island!
      Either way your a negative and most likely recent Madeira resident who wants Madeira to be how you want it – never changing and never growing! ( and dont forget the new huge hospital and healthcare, more wealth, very low crime and boutique shopping)
      Madeira people have to have aspirations too, cant just be waiters and chamber maids.
      Goodbye, dont come back and just go.
      The Island is lost?? What a joke, your BLIND Doris..

    2. Please explain a little more if you would. I understand the changes in Madeira have been many and negative in many respects ( over population, crime, ecology ) but you don’t say where you are going that offers a better solution, or what specifically makes you feel Madeira is “lost”. ( I’m not saying you are mistaken by the way.)

      1. Okay Keith,
        The current governo (regional government), has neither debated or published a paper on the state of the environment and ecology or on the effects of uncontrolled tourism (ever expanding tourism) and ‘real estate’ + hotel ‘ luxury apartment speculative development. The Madeiran Island people are merely expected to vote blindly for it under the false assumption that all of it will improve their lives, the vast majority are sadly politically naive at best or worse, ignorant and ill informed / misinformed.
        Much of the damage has already been done.
        As to the ‘crux’ of the matter, to try and offer a solution:
        1. An immediate evaluation of the ‘true’ bio state of the island. The island has a University.
        2. An open public debate. The island has a Conference Center.
        3. A fundamental change in the ‘mind set’ of the controlling political governance.
        From – a. The Capitalist Myth making.
        To. – b. The implementation of Regeneration and long term sustainability with the emphasis on the environment and ecology.

        Tourism then must be based on the parameters outlined above.
        The emphasis would then be on ‘quality’ not ‘quantity’, people would of course have to pay a much higher price including ‘respect’ for the bio-diversity of the place which they are visiting.

        So I could elaborate further. Maybe at the Forteleza with a cup of Coffee?

    3. Dear Doris,
      Your comment, though very brief points to the heart of the matter.
      Capitalist exploitation which is not helping the Madeiran Island people and the resulting comprising of the environment and ecology.
      This is a Global problem, Madeira is just one of many ‘micrcosmical’ examples.
      It must be sad to leave.
      Melvin????

  2. Hi Tobi,
    Pleased to report that we have a family of 4 Blackbirds that visit our lawn in the early evenings in addition to a pair of local Kestrels who hover over the field opposite looking for food during the day. We also see the resident Buzzard hunting above us in Arco da Calheta.

    1. I’m pleased to have received your report.
      You are very lucky, and probably living in an ‘oasis’.
      Yes, of course these do exist, but, for how long ?
      Please keep a check and let me know if things change, as of course they will.
      What you have described is actually quite small in terms of numbers and frequency.
      Speak to people in the UK. things are also ‘bad’ there.

      Melvin
      ????

  3. I’ve been a regular visitor to Funchal over 25 years and I can confirm the loss of songbirds. The garden of the quinta we stay in used to be full of blackbirds – I often spent my early evenings watching the male birds squabble over a potential mate on a neighbouring roof. Not so now. I can’t remember the last time I saw any bird other than pigeons, gulls and of course the macaws in the Governor’s garden.

  4. This strange situation has also happened in the Uk. We live close to woodlands – where are the birds? I love to hear the blackbirds sing but where have they gone? We use to hear a dawn chorus if singing birds – but it’s now a dawn of silence. Occasionally an owl will call before dawn. Climate change? diseases? predators? Mystery.

    1. Thankyou Phillip,
      Well I can tell you that in the UK ‘Bird Flu’ has seriously impacted upon Bird populations, but other factors which are discussed in various other responses to my Blog are also to blame.
      Yes, the silence ‘hurts’.
      Humans have a great deal to learn, especially about their relationship and treatment of the environment and ecology.

      Melvin
      ????

  5. I do agree that given our abundant green areas I am surprised we don’t have many more birds, indigenous or local. I suspect that the plant killer most hill people use to control their plots here is responsible. By poisoning the flora which creates the feeding cycle for these birds in the form of insects, grubs whatever will eventually lead to the demise of birds. I really can’t understand how a chemical that is so potent and lethal to flora is allowed to be used so willy nilly. Perhaps tighter government control on its use may help establish the bird population again? Or ban it outright would be an even better option. Another solution is to perhaps bring in dozens of breeding pairs that could help revive our dwindling bird species. I do agree with Melvin that there is nothing better than to hear bird sounds in the wild. Whilst on the subject of wildlife, I think introducing duiker or royal antelope to our forests would be a very good idea. These are shy timid little creatures no bigger than a small dog and would thrive in our natural forests. Currently we have nothing.

    1. Be careful Bruce, Rabbits to Australia, Lupins to New Zealand, Japanese Knotweed, Himalayan Balsam and Muntjac Deer to the UK.

      1. True, but wouldn’t it be a better option to control the numbers of a beautiful little deer than to have nothing at all? It could add another dimension to the hikes in our lovely island.

          1. We’re all trying to help Melvin, everyone here is entitled to their opinions and suggestions.

            1. Hi Mario,
              Who do you mean ? All ?
              Thankyou for confirming that I’m entitled like everyone to their opinion.
              My intention is to launch a debate / discussion, which I have.
              Thankyou for your comment.
              Maybe you could elaborate more on how we can help, maybe ?

              Melvin
              ????

                1. Ah, well,
                  Now I see the picture.
                  What you said about poisons is absolutely correct.
                  Banning them yes, but enforcement is difficult, as with fining cigarette butt throwers. Who will enforce it ?
                  Yes, ban the use of these lethal poisons, clean up the environment.
                  Breeding pairs of the species lost, yes, a good idea.
                  Antelope, maybe not, because mammals are not necessarily indigenous to the Madeiran forest flora, they could be purveyors of destructive activity through their trampling and munching, a scientific trial would need to be carried out etc.
                  You mention ‘cycles’ yes this is a crucial elemental process in nature.
                  Great.
                  Thankyou.

                  Melvin
                  ????

        2. I think introducing any new non-native species, especially for our enhanced enjoyment of the forests is frankly, an appalling idea. As for the birds, it may be true that their numbers are diminishing, but some species do not sing all year round. While I appreciate the sentiments of concern, I suggest getting some facts to temper the feelings. SPEA is the Portuguese ornithological society. Become a member, get some facts & maybe find ways to help.

          1. Your first point is correct (agreement you have from me).
            However, your point about the singing of birds is unfortunately incorrect. The blackbirds, the principal singing bird in Funchal DOES sing all the year round, usually morning and evening, they have mostly gone. The other smaller birds tending to ‘chitter chatter’ do so ALL THE YEAR ROUND.
            As for SPEA I contacted them and waited for a reply, and waited, and waited ……………..and waited, eventually they replied with a few, for want of a better word ‘uninspired’ sentences basically expressing disinterest. I was disappointed. As to becoming a member, well I have signed up, for your info., thanks for suggesting this.
            As for checking facts, this I do, using the internet creatively. I have a good UK Doctorate (PhD) so I am skilled at finding and evaluating information, but thanks for your point.
            It is true / a fact that bird numbers are diminishing, diminishing in a dramatic way, while humans are, in their vast numbers greedily devouring natural resources and in the process destroying vast swathes of the natural environment, once destroyed forests and oceans with all life that they contain cannot be easily replaced, in fact it cannot be replaced. The Earth will ‘way’ outlive the purge of the human species, tragically ironic, considering the many wonderful things created by the human intellect, yet it will be forgotten as if it had never existed in a vast, vast………..vast cosmos.

            Melvin
            ????

            1. Hi Melvin, you may well be correct about birdsong. That was not science I stated, just my personal observation, here near Ribeira Brava. I thought my blackbirds were gone, too, but they simply went quiet for awhile. I was relieved to hear them again a few months later.

              As for SPEA, I believe you. I am a member of SEO, the Spanish ornithological organization and they are active.

              I love living in Madeira & it pains me to see relatively little respect for what we might lose here. We don’t need to introduce new non-native species; we need to protect the ones which belong here.

              Thank you for a measured response. I hardly ever post anything anywhere as responses can be so hostile.

  6. Fireworks, noise, tourists , cars and festivals are coming more and more????. Birds are leaving….too noisy.

    People over here have forgotten ? why originally Madeira was so attractive.
    With the money and noise also other problems are already showing up.
    Smart birds are leaving the Island…..

  7. I’ve been visiting Madeira for many years and owned a home there for 9 years and I honestly believe that the number of birds is not what it should be. For an island with plenty of tree cover the amount of birds is small and appears to be getting smaller. There must be a serious issue with the eco system of Madeira and something needs to be done.

    1. Dear David,
      Thankyou for your response.
      Yes you are correct from your observations.
      Yes, there needs to be an evaluation (the sooner the better) of the situation and a public open debate.
      The Public needs to hold the Government to account.
      The survival of our eco-systems is the survival of mankind. Without the biodiversity we are doomed. We have a duty to protect, we do not have the right to destroy.

      Melvin

      Just as I was writing this a Blackbird ‘sang’ in the garden for a few minutes.
      What Bliss.
      Now they have gone.

  8. We certainly had no shortage of blackbirds around here till quite recently, scuffling around in our mulch for worms and nesting in the garden. If you’re talking about very recently though, you may be right .
    We’re in Cova do Arco and generally see lots of kestrels and occasional buzzards….
    There are currently a few swifts out there and a dove but nothing else….
    I hope Madeira is not yet ‘lost’….but many people, including our local friends, have serious concerns.

    1. Dear Pat,
      Thanks for your response.
      The disappearance of smaller birds has been a gradual process, certainly from within our locality the final stage which has resulted in ‘silence’ has already existed for the past 6 to nine months. I am devastated and depressed by this sad situation, the insect population is also seriously affected. In terms of species order the problem began with disappearance of insect species important to birds and then following on from this, the birds themselves.
      Owls
      Sea birds are also part of this extinction scenario.
      Keep a check on what you see around you.
      Keep eyes wide open.
      We are in this together, wherever we live on the planet.
      The planet is ‘Gaia’ our ‘mother’ home, and we have a duty to protect it as best we can.

      Melvin
      ????

  9. Yes true. Last year we had more birds around. And this year again less insects. The bird’s food. The free access to the poisens, the flood of cat’s with neverending new born Kidden, stubborn people who refuse to change her behaviour to a better. To many greedy and stupid people don’t care about our Nature. And yes, I also missing my singing friends.

    1. Yes, the cats need to be sterilised.
      Thankyou for responding.
      You will see some of my replies soon, after they are ‘moderated’.

  10. Our timeshare apartment balcony is on a level with the top of a palm tree. Blackbirds nest elsewhere in the hotel grounds and the male would sit in the palm tree and sing beautifully every day. Now it is more often a shrieking alarm call as the buzzard chases them and the smaller birds. I know life is “red in tooth and claw”, but it is upsetting to see these violent attacks which they have to endure every day. Maybe the population of buzzards is too high on the island?

    1. I used to work at a wildlife sanctuary dedicated to birds of prey. Please understand that it is the amount of prey which governs the amount of predators & not the reverse. Birds of prey are essential in balanced ecosystems.

      I care about the environment & birds alot. I sympathize with concerns, but having facts in addition to feelings/opinions is important.

      1. Dear Allen,
        Thanks for your response.
        I thought that I had responded.
        Message seems to have vanished.
        Anyway.
        Well, there substantially fewer birds of prey (Kestrels) here.
        So the vanishing is across the board it has nothing at all to do with the balance of this or that species.
        Our ecosystems have been unbalanced by human activity, greed, purging, wanton carelessness etc…

        Melvin
        ?????

    2. Dear Meg,
      Thanks. Well, yes, you use the ‘past tense’, the surviving smaller birds will of course have a tougher time. Your comment on life which maintains that ‘life is inherently cruel’, and it’s the survival of the fittest has some truth, however it is ‘man’ that is the cruellest and the principal species ‘hell-bent’ on both destroying and unbalancing nature’s beauteous creations, it is man who inflicts the worst of ‘tooth and claw’. This Capitalism of unrestrained growth for profit is not sustainable and we are the purveyors and witnesses of it’s effects, and by looking around with eyes ‘wide open’ we ought to be alarmed and sickened by what is happening.
      Ever larger hotel complexes ever larger cruise ships, the raping of mineral resources in third world countries and the ‘slavery’ of those whose lives are cruelly exploited, usually children and young people. We are as a species walking blindly through an ongoing catastrophe which we ourselves have created.
      Food for thought while you enjoy morning coffee on your balcony, and an evening glass of wine looking out over the expanse of the ocean.

      Melvin
      Funchal. Forteleza, Calçada do Pico.
      ????

    3. Dear Meg,
      Thanks. Well, yes, you use the ‘past tense’, the surviving smaller birds will of course have a tougher time. Your comment on life which maintains that ‘life is inherently cruel’, and it’s the survival of the fittest has some truth, however it is ‘man’ that is the cruellest and the principal species ‘hell-bent’ on both destroying and unbalancing nature’s beauteous creations, it is man who inflicts the worst of ‘tooth and claw’. This Capitalism of unrestrained growth for profit is not sustainable and we are the purveyors and witnesses of it’s effects, and by looking around with eyes ‘wide open’ we ought to be alarmed and sickened by what is happening.
      Ever larger hotel complexes ever larger cruise ships, the raping of mineral resources in third world countries and the ‘slavery’ of those whose lives are cruelly exploited, usually children and young people. We are as a species walking blindly through an ongoing catastrophe which we ourselves have created.
      Food for thought while you enjoy morning coffee on your balcony, and an evening glass of wine looking out over the expanse of the ocean.
      Melvin
      Funchal. Forteleza, Calçada do Pico.
      ????

  11. Fireworks & loud noise is a sure way to diminish or even cause all sky birds to perish or become extinct on the island. Not only birds are seriously effected but wild animals, pets & domestic animals become distressed & extremely frightened. Sadly the practice of fireworks & loud events is far too common on such a small island

    1. Dear Sharon,
      These events have existed for years. We came here to live in 2005. Nothing has changed, it’s just gotten worse and more frequent. The traffic and accident chaos in the’via rápida’ the increased number of cars / traffic, yet another issue.
      However, the noise, light, and other things that I have talked about in my other replies to the previous nine people, all these things are part and parcel of the (for want of a better terminology) ‘extinction event’ which is under way globally. We need to rid ourselves of those corrupt politicians who are leading us further into ‘our’ self made ‘abyss’. Such is the overwhelming nature of these facts that we daily so willingly refuse to face head on and accept.

      Melvin
      ????

    2. In Spring and early summer I woke up every morning to the sound of singing birds in Calheta.
      At this time of the year it´s normal that there are less birds. Still, I like to believe that there may be fewer birds and that this is not just due to the sound of fireworks, no, Over the past two years, the whole of Madeira has turned into a large construction site with cranes everywhere and construction noise from early morning until often 7 p.m.
      Birds (but also other animals) become afraid and nervouws when there´s a lot of noise around them, they build fewer nests and therefore have fewer hatchlings.
      The constant noise, busy traffic and people everywhere are disrupting the animal world.
      Too bad, but that’s how it is, unfortunately.

      1. Dear LMcK,
        Strange name, but fine.
        The Seasons in Madeira at Funchal São Pedro elevation approx. 100 meters are not so clearly defined, of course more so at higher elevations, Monte and above also Camacha etc., so, bird numbers did not vary / oscillate in any noticeable degree, therefore I am correct in believing that there is a very serious problem of devastatingly diminished numbers. My observations are not imaginings.
        The main thrust of your argument is clear and correct.
        Building developments on a grand scale the new hospital being built, more and more hotels and luuuxuury apartments, for the idle middle and upper classes oh and the 1%., let’s party while Rome burns, hoorah for more concrete (terrible).
        The Madeiran people have told and sold a lie and for the most part they have greedily lapped it up.
        There’s plenty that could be done to stop it ….. yes …. Stilll there is time. ……but there needs to be a will.

        Melvin
        ????

    1. Sure, but it is just one of several contributing factors but not any were close to the impact of ‘human’ activity.
      Madeira it seems had no cases. I’ve checked News Paper and Television news items for the period. There were incidents in various areas of Portugal, but from what I can find, nothing serious, so here it is not a contributory factor which has resulted in the present situation.
      There are many areas on the island where rats thrive and the government authorities use poisons to kill them, farmers and even ordinary people are known to set / plant poison in a way that makes it accessible to other animals reptiles and birds, this might be a contributing factor, but again this needs to be investigated. Please read my preliminary attempt at a strategy for trying to rescue the environment and ecology in a previous reply by a contributor to my Blog.
      I would suggest that you pay attention to your own back yard, and even towns and cities. Of course London I am told is now chaotic mess, dirty and polluted. The rivers are not fit for the purpose of swimming, so, why would people imagine that the fish can survive and with that all the eco systems that rely on the bio-structure of the river it’s banks and tributaries. The seas around the UK (to which I’m referring) are also polluted which results in degradation of the ecosystem and death of fish and other sea creatures.
      Madeira also pollutes the coastline with sewage that is not properly and sufficiently treated.
      Most cars and Buses in Madeira still run on diesel which is itself harmful to the environment. The ghastly passenger liners that call at Funchal chuck out an extraordinarily noxious amount of cheap diesel fumes, they also pollute the sea.
      The Madeiran pavements are ‘awash’ with cigarette butts which are known from scientific studies to be hazardous to the environment, polluting water sources that animals / birds drink from, also entering the food chain. The fines are never enforced, because the ‘police’ are nowhere to be seen. People just throw the buts down where they stand, or out of the car, singly, or, en masse, or can be seen throwing them over their balconies.
      Nicotine is a lethal poison used in pesticides – this might be a significant factor.
      We’re probably next.

  13. Do you (or anyone) have any data or evidence supporting this claim? Not because I don’t believe it, but always like to rely on some reference or statistical confirmation that is verifiable. “I don’t see as many birds” could be literally anything. Avian populations are known to have normal variances that can be fairly large. Just as predator/prey models on populations like Lotka-Volterra have proven out.

    1. I am not an ornithologist, so, my claim is based on what I see with my own eyes coupled with common sense and a keen ear for what I am told by people living in the UK, Germany and France. Also, I did not say ‘I don’t see as many bird’s’ which as you correctly say ‘could’ mean anything, actually what I say is that the birds have gone, in the vast vista of Funchal around me, now Including pigeons and kestrels, there are occasional sightings and small oasis like pockets, but that’s all. I am not imagining this and I do not need statistical info. to prove my point.
      If you are unable to accept this, I suggest that you look more closely around you, now, also note the disappearance of many many insects. Sorry that I can’t be more positive.
      Melvin
      ????

  14. I definitely have fewer Birds and I didn’t have that many before even though I live in a very green area. The mosquitoes seem to be much more bothersome this year and I wonder if fewer Birds to eat them are contributing to the problem. I don’t have any Kestrils now or a flock of doves.

    1. Dear Sandra,
      Yes, mosquitos are a problem here in Funchal. I don’t know if the birds eat the larvae ? Wasps, fish probably eat larvae. The mosquito problem has existed for years well before the demise of the bird population.
      Fewer Kestrels and Doves is further confirmation of the problem.
      Thankyou.
      Keep looking.
      Keep praying.
      Melvin

  17. Glyphosate not only harms the weeds it is used against, but also causes high collateral damage in our environment: glyphosate is directly harmful to wildlife, including for example amphibians, insects and earthworms. Because glyphosate destroys plant diversity, insects and birds find less food and habitat in the fields. Entire ecosystems suffer from the super-poison: glyphosate and its degradation products accumulate in the soil, for example, and damage soil life there, promote pathogenic fungi and impair the uptake of micronutrients and the plants’ defence against disease. But glyphosate also disturbs the ecological balance in water bodies. The toxic effects of glyphosate change the composition of the biotic communities in rivers and lakes and reduce their food supply.

    In March 2015, the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans”. Since then, numerous studies have appeared confirming the carcinogenic effect of the weed killer. Studies have also shown that glyphosate can damage the nervous system – there is a link to neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. Glyphosate can also negatively affect the hormonal system and impair fertility. We are exposed to all these dangers when we take glyphosate into our bodies via residues on food. As part of our nationwide measurement project “Pesticides in the Air”, we were also able to prove that glyphosate spreads through the air by adhering to dust particles. So the substance can also enter our bodies through the air we breathe. The agricultural poison has already been detected in human urine and blood.

    As a report by PAN Europe shows, there are health and environmentally friendly methods of weed control that can replace glyphosate. For example, if the crops in a field are rotated every year, a weed that thrives in one crop will be suppressed by another crop the next year. Undersowing is also an important preventive measure: Here, not only the main crop such as wheat is sown, but also a secondary crop such as clover at the same time. As the clover covers and shades the soil, weeds cannot grow due to the lack of light. A traditional and very valuable, ecological method of weed control is grazing by animals such as pigs, cattle, goats, sheep, horses or poultry

    1. Henrietta, is this glyphosate present in the plant killer people use here? If so I can’t believe such a toxin has not already been banned. It sounds like a terrible compound, can’t understand why it was approved for use in the first place. I think we may have found the principal cause for our lack of birds.

      1. This is unbelievable and tragic if true on this island.
        I must do some investigation with the Madeiran authorities etc.

  18. Well I been returning to Madeira to visit my mother that still lives in Santo Antonio da Serra road that across Santa Cruz up and I stay many times there and plenty birds singing . And I was this year in the in Prazers in Madeira and visit all that area and the same thing plenty birds even when hiking in the levadas also ,

    1. Dear Isabel,
      Thankyou for your response. Maybe in the wilder and higher and far less developed areas, there are still ‘oasis’ of remaining populations, but again I would stress that this will be threatened by continued development, road and tunnel building and more and more housing constructions incorporating tons and tons of concrete. Come to Funchal and see and hear for yourself. Of course, Santa da Serra, with its still intact woodland environment will provide a much safer sanctuary for wild birds. But if unscrupulous developers are allowed to have their way this will be seriously threatened, believe me.

      Melvin
      ????

      1. Well maybe a study of the bird population is required in Funchal or even the full island . Many thanks for your invitation to Funchal, not my cup of tea . I still don’t know why so many people chose Funchal to live in? And there are plenty of other areas where they can live . I know Funchal offers a big range of services to people to live but if people want to live a more peaceful live go live in a different location beside of Funchal . I know Madeira very well and after visiting this year I managed to see that many of the rural areas are going the opposite way. There aren’t any major constructions going over the place. The only thing that left me in shock was the land that one time that was farmed the elder barely can keep anymore . And there are plenty of farms , land and houses completely abandoned and left plenty of places where people can live instead of Funchal . As far as the supposed development of housing, what I did see going was this housing program the Madeira Government is building only in specific areas and also rehabilitation of vacant houses and not over the place .

        1. Thanks Isabel for your response to my response.
          Well I chose to live in Funchal because if work. I do not drive. I am a retired teacher at the Conservatório Escola das Artes da Madeira Funchal. In 2005 we bought our house in Funchal for 175.000 €, now estimated to be worth nearly 500.000 €. The prices of real estate have boomed at an alarming rate, way beyond what most ordinary Madeirans can afford, even rents are ridiculous, especially if you are only on the minimum wage. Yes there are a great many derelict properties both in Funchal and in the countryside. Often the properties are owned by families with multiple members who are not necessarily living in Madeira, the legal complexities of selling such properties are enormous, and the sellers are asking ridiculous prices for what are ruins with no ‘services’. There is not enough ‘social’ housing and housing for the poorer members of Madeiran society. Building luxury houses is not the solution. Many foreigners are buying real estate on the island in order to rent out and make ‘loads’ of money.
          Get real, sooner or later Madeira will no longer be for the Madeirans, it has happened in other parts of the globe, believe me. The insects and birds are diminishing thanks largely to human activity. Well, sooner or later ‘Gaia’ will win, even the ‘dinosaurs’ lost it in the end, and then there’ll be another ‘evolution’, maybe.

          Melvin
          ????

  19. Sorry Tobi, I readded response to Meg, thinking that it was attached to Allen’s comment. I got confused. Sorry. Thankyou for letting my responses through automatically. Bom fim de semana.
    Melvin
    ????

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