Newsletter

Join the Christmas Bird Count December 16

Chapala Birders Newsletter, December 2, 2024 Sightings last Month There were 176 species reported for the lake area in November. The complete list is shown at the end of this newsletter. Interesting sightings included the following: Jules Evens saw Northern Waterthrush at the San Antonio malecon. John Keeling sighted a Lucifer Hummingbird on the Allen Lloyd Trail. Nicola Cendron identified Costa's Hummingbird above Chapala. Sign Up Now for the Christmas Bird Count & Potluck Supper The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) for the Ajijic Area will be held on Monday December 16.This is a special morning to count birds for science. Everyone with an interest in birds is welcome to take part. Participants must register with John by email to chapalabirders@yahoo.com. Please provide:    Your name    Your cell phone number    Whether you can bring a car or need a ride,    Whether you plan to attend the potluck supper in the evening. We divide participants into teams, with each team having 4 to 6 members. Each team will go to a particular part of our designated 15 mile diameter circle which runs from San Juan Cosala to San Nicolas, and north to Lake Cajititlan. Your team leader will contact you close to the time of the count to confirm your meeting point. We generally do the counting from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm. The Potluck Supper celebration will be held at 6.00 pm on the same day (December 16) at John Keeling's house in Ajijic. Bring your spouse or partner. This is an opportunity to meet the other participants and compare sightings. John will provide wine and beer. We will also have a brief "Camera Show and Tell" to hear what our birders with newer cameras like about their equipment. There is no fee for the Count, but in the past, our members have encouraged me to ask for a donation towards the out-of pocket costs of Chapala Birders. These are for website hosting and newsletter mailing, which together cost about $8,000 pesos per year. The Dike Christmas bird Count' at the east end of the lake will be held on Wednesay December 18.This is an all-day affair as it is 80km (50 mi.) from Ajijic. You can sign up for this at the pot-luck supper. We will have one team for this circle which extends from Jamay to La Palma and east to Briseñas. Lake Chapala Hawk Watch - Results - 2024 Many trips were made by our leading birders to the top of Mexcala Mountain to count the Hawks and Turkey Vultures passing overhead. We saw 5,187 birds, managing to identify 2,548 of them. The chart below shows the species and the weeks in each month when they were seen. Featured Bird: Double-toothed Kite An adult Double-toothed Kite. Note the barred tail, fluffy white undertail coverts and the single black median stripe on the throat. The females are slightly bigger than the male and have brighter plumage. The Double-toothed Kite is a very small tropical hawk, common in South America. Here in Jalisco it is seen in the jungles close to the Pacific Coast where it is at the northern end of its range. It is regarded as non-migratory, but we have one or two on our Hawk Watch. It's upper bill has four notches to form 3 teeth to aid in killing prey. It operates inside mature forests, preferring a dense canopy with open understorey. It's food is mainly large insects such as beetles, butterflies and caterpillars. It also will consume lizards and tree frogs. The nest is made from twigs. The female lays two eggs and incubates the them for 42 days while being fed by the male. The chicks fledge 30 days later and become independent after another 60 days. The chicks are also fed mainly by the male. Upcoming Bird Walks and Trips Our bird-walks are open to all those interested in birds, both beginners and experienced birders. Just bring binoculars. We always have knowledgeable birders on hand to identify the species. Note that we will try to limit most car trips to three vehicles and 14 people because larger convoys are hard to manage when trying to stop on country roads to look at the birds. If you are being given a ride, we suggest you make a contribution to your driver for gas and tolls (perhaps $150 pesos for a half day outing, $300 pesos for a day trip). On Thursday December 5, we will meet at 8.00 am at the San Antonio Malecon parking lot in order walk the malecon and center of San Antonio. At about 9.30 we will head to Cafe Negro restaurant for breakfast and complete the bird list. How to get to the Parking Lot: Follow these instructions carefully because of the one-way street system in San Antonio. From Ajijic go past Walmart and the Coca Cola warehouse, then turn downhill at the traffic light onto San Jose/Allen Lloyd (close to Black Coffee, El Parque and the Little Theater). Proceed downhill and turn turn right onto La Paz at a shrine one block before the lake, then turn left at the T intersection, and go one block to the parking lot. On Tuesday December 10, we will meet at 8.00 am at the 'Sculpture' (at the only traffic light in La Floresta, (south-east corner), leaving immediately for the Rosa Amarilla Loop on the south side of the lake (60 minutes drive). Expect to see a variety of grassland birds and possibly a White-tailed Hawk. Bring refreshments for the morning and sandwiches for the 12.30 lunch stop. We will be back about 4.00 pm. You must reserve - email John at chapalabirders@yahoo.com at least 2 days ahead indicating if you can bring a vehicle and can take others, or you would like to be a passenger. On Monday December 31, we will meet at 8.00 am at the 'Sculpture (at the only traffic light in La Floresta, south-east corner, opposite Restaurant Pranzo), departing immediately for Villa Corona on Lake Atotonilco (60 minutes drive). We expect to see various shore birds such as White-faced Ibis and Roseate Spoonbill. Bring your own mid-morning refreshments. There will be a break for snacking at 11.00 am. We will be back in Ajijic by about 1.30 pm. You must reserve - email John at least 2 days ahead of time, saying if you can bring a vehicle and can take passengers, or you would like to be a passenger. Bird Walk & Trip Reports On November 7, we had 8 observers assembled on the popular Allen Lloyd Trail managing to identify 50 species including Squirrel Cuckoo, Russet-crowned Motmot, Happy Wren, Canyon Wren, Western Kingbird, Lazuli Bunting and Bushtit. On November 18, four of us set out on the Horizontal Oak Trail from Las Trojes. We were rewarded with good sightings of the pretty Red-faced Warbler, also White-eared Hummingbird, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Tonwsend's Warbler. On November 25, there were seven birders at Hacienda La Cristina on the west side of Ajijic. Our list was 42 species including Groove-billed Ani, Blue Mockingbird, Crested Caracara, Black-headed Grosbeak and Monk Parakeet. Monthly Sightings List Here are the 176 species observed around Lake Chapala in November: Bittern, American (Ca) Blackbird, yellow-headed Bobwhite, northern (Ch) Bunting, indigo Bunting, lazuli (Av) Bunting, painted (Av) Bunting, varied Bushtit Caracara, crested Chat, yellow-breasted Coot, American Cormorant, neotropic Cowbird, bronzed Cowbird, brown-headed Crossbill, red (Mz) Cuckoo, squirrel (Sa) Dove, common ground Dove, Eurasian collared Dove, Inca Dove, mourning Dove, white-tipped Dove, white-winged Duck, black-bellied whistling (Rp) Duck, fulvous whistling (Rp) Duck, Mexican Duck, ruddy Egret, great Egret, snowy Egret, western cattle Elaenia, greenish Falcon, peregrine (Mz) Finch, house Flycatcher, ash-throated Flycatcher, brown-crested (Mz) Flycatcher, buff-breasted (Mz) Flycatcher, dusky Flycatcher, dusky-capped Flycatcher, Hammond's Flycatcher, least Flycatcher, Nutting's Flycatcher, olive-sided Flycatcher, social Flycatcher, tufted Flycatcher, vermilion Gadwall Gallinule, common Gnatcatcher, blue-gray Goldfinch, lesser Grackle, great-tailed Grebe, pied-billed Grosbeak, black-headed Grosbeak, blue Gull, laughing Gull, ring-billed Harrier, northern Hawk, broad-winged Hawk, common black Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, gray Hawk, red-tailed Hawk, sharp-shinned Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, zone-tailed Heron, black-crowned night Heron, great blue Heron, green Heron, little blue Heron, tri-colored Hummingbird, berylline Hummingbird, black-chinned (Mz) Hummingbird, broad-billed Hummingbird, broad-tailed (Ps) Hummingbird, Costa's (Xt) Hummingbird, lucifer (Sa) Hummingbird, rufous Hummingbird, violet-crowned Hummingbird, white-eared (Ct) Ibis, white-faced Jacana, northern Kestrel, American Killdeer Kingbird, Cassin's Kingbird, thick-billed Kingbird, tropical Kingbird, western Kingfisher, belted Kinglet, ruby-crowned Kiskadee, great Kite, hook-billed Kite, white-tailed Merlin Mockingbird, blue Mockingbird, northern Motmot, russet-crowned (Sa) Oriole, black-backed Oriole, black-vented Oriole, Bullock's Oriole, hooded Oriole, orchard Oriole, streak-backed Osprey (Ch) Owl, ferruginous pygmy (Rp) Owl, great horned (Av) Parakeet, monk parrow, rusty-crowned ground Pelican, American white Pewee, greater Phoebe, black Pigeon, rock Raven, common Redstart, American (Mz) Redstart, painted Robin, American Robin, rufous-backed Sandpiper, least Sandpiper, spotted Seedeater, cinnamon-rumped Shrike, loggerhead Siskin, pine Snipe, Wilson's Sora Sparrow, chipping Sparrow, clay-colored Sparrow, house Sparrow, lark Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, rufous-crowned (Mz) Sparrow, savannah Sparrow, stripe-headed Stilt, black-necked Swallow, barn Swallow, northern rough-winged Swallow, tree Swallow, violet-green Tanager, hepatic Tanager, summer (Rp) Tanager, western Teal, blue-winged Teal, cinnamon Tern, Caspian Tern, Forster's Thrasher, curve-billed Thrush, orange-billed nightingale Towhee, canyon Tyrannulet, northern beardless (Av) Vireo, Bell's (Ps) Vireo, Cassin's Vireo, plumbeous Vireo, warbling Vulture, black Vulture, turkey Warbler, black and white Warbler, black-throated gray Warbler, Grace's Warbler, hermit Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Nashville Warbler, orange-crowned Warbler, red-faced Warbler, rufous-capped Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, yellow Warbler, yellow-rumped Waterthrush, northern (Sa) Woodpecker, golden-fronted Woodpecker, ladder-backed Wren, Bewick's Wren, canyon Wren, happy Wren, house Wren, marsh Wren, spotted Yellowlegs, greater Yellowthroat, common (Ca) Sighting Location codes:  Ac - Ajijic: La Cristina & El Bajio At - Trails above Ajijic Av - Ajijic village Ca - Lake Cajititlan & marsh Ch - Chapala Ct - Caracol Trail & Int'l School Cs - Chapala Haciendas & Las Brisas Cv - Cerro Viejo Dm - Dike: Jamay to Malteraña Dp - Dike: Maltaraña to La Palma Hv - Hidden Valley oak forest Ja - Jamay La - La Cañada & Hidden Valley Jo - Jocotepec Ld - Lerma & Duero rivers Mz - Mezcala Oc - Ocotlan Pe - Petatan area Ps - Pumping Station & Santa Cruz Pt - San Pedro Tesistan Pz - San Pedro Itzican/Poncitlan Ra - Rosa Amarilla loop Rc - Santa Rosa & Carnero dam Rp - Riberas del Pilar & Canyon Sa - San Antonio & Allen Lloyd Trail Sc - San Juan Cosala Sn - San Nicholas & Golf Club Tz - Tizapan canyon Te - San Juan Tecomatlan Tr - Las Trojes & Chupinaya Tu - Tuxcueca & San Luis Soyatlan Xt - Ixtlahuacan & Las Campanillas What is the "Lake Chapala Area"?  We define it as the whole area of the lake plus all land within 15km (or 7 miles) from the edge of the lake. Lake Chapala Birders is an informal group of bird observers led by John and Rosemary Keeling. Illustrated color folders showing our common birds are available for $200 pesos at Diane Pearl's Gallery, 11 am to 4 pm, Santa Margarita #23, at the east end of Riberas del Pilar. Also available from John Keeling on bird walks. We like to hear of bird sightings at: chapalabirders@yahoo.com. Check our website: ChapalaBirders.org There you will find our newsletters, illustrations of our birds and advice on buying binoculars, books and birding apps.

Newsletter

Chapala Birders Newsletter, November 2, 2024 Sightings last Month There were 173 species reported for the lake area in October. The complete list is shown at the end of this newsletter. Date of Christmas Bird Counts This year the Chistmas Bird Count for the Ajijic Area and the Potluck Celebration Supper will take place on Monday December 16. Most of the 'counting' will be done between 8.00 am and 12.00 am. The potluck supper will be at 6.00 pm at John's home as usual. Please reserve this date in your calendar. The Christmas Bird count for the 'Dike Area' at the east end of the lake will be held on Wednesday December 18. This is a full day affair, being more than one hour's drive from Ajijic. Lake Chapala Hawk Watch - Results - 2024 At the end of October, the Hook-billed Kites and Swainson's Hawks were still coming through. It seems we should keep monitoring the flow of raptors for a little while longer. Featured Bird: Hook-billed Kite A male dark-morph Hook-billed Kite as seen on migration. It is a secretive bird, often sitting in the upper canopy of the jungle. Notice the paddle-shaped wings angled forward so that the leading edge of the primaries line up ahead of the bill. It has a boldly striped tail, and a floppy style of flying. The Hook-billed Kite is a medium-sized, 18 in. long (46 cm) tropical raptor occurring from northern Mexico to southern Brazil. A new small population exists in the Rio Grande valley in Texas. It eats Tree Snails almost entirely, for which it has a parrot-like bill. The population density of the Kites is found to correspond to the population density of the tree snails. Occasionally it will eat lizards and frogs. Both sexes share the building of the see-through pile of sticks that form the nest, as well as incubating for 35 days and subsequent feeding for 40 days before the young fledge. Mexican populations are primarily resident, but some migration has been observed through Belize. The migration patterns are not yet well understood. It seems some of our Mexican birds winter somewhere in Central America. Upcoming Bird Walks and Trips Our bird-walks are open to all those interested in birds, both beginners and experienced birders. Just bring binoculars. We always have knowledgeable birders on hand to identify the species. Note that we will try to limit most car trips to three vehicles and 14 people because larger convoys are hard to manage when trying to stop on country roads to look at the birds. If you are being given a ride, we suggest you make a contribution to your driver for gas and tolls (perhaps $150 pesos for a half day outing, $300 pesos for a day trip). On Thursday November 7, we will meet at 8.00 am at the trail head to hike a mile up the Allen Lloyd Trail which has lots of underbrush in which birds love to hide. Expect to see Blue Mockingbird and hear the Happy Wren. At about 10.00 we will head to Cafe Negro restaurant for breakfast and complete the bird list. How to get to the trail head: Drive up the Libramiento a half mile (1km) from the traffic light at Walmart, then turn left (carefully) as you would for the new hospital (Ribera Medical Center), double back and drive up the left side of the hospital, keep going uphill another half mile, and park on the only street to your left. On Monday November 18, we will meet a 8.00 am at the "Sculpture" (at the only traffic light in La Floresta, south-east corner, opposite Restaurant Pranzo),leaving immediately for Las Trojes (one hour away), to hike the Horizontal Oak Forest Trail. We hike to the edge of the hidden valley (3-hours hiking uphill, 2-hours back). Don't expect very many birds, but the hike is very pleasant and we may see the Red-faced Warbler. We will be back about 4.00 pm. Bring refreshments and sandwiches for lunch at noon at the top. If you plan on going, please email John at chapalabirders@yahoo.com at least 2 days ahead indicating if you can bring a vehicle and can take others or you would like to be a passenger. (We do not always have enough cars.) On Monday November 25, we will meet at 8.00 a.m. at La Cristina on the west side of Ajijic. We will see some shore birds and birds in the tall trees along the street. At about 10.00 am we will head to Fonda Doña Lola restaurant for breakfast and complete the bird list. How to Get There: Drive about 2 mi (4km) west from Colon, look for signs for Hacienda La Cristina (near a bus stop and signs for Las Palmas), turn down to the lake, and park close to the lake. Bird Walk & Trip Reports On October 8, there were eight of us on top of Mezcala Mountain. We did manage to see 39 species, lots of warblers, but very few hawks that day: Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk, as well as 99 migrating Turkey Vultures. On October 17, we again had eight people on Mezcala Mountain. Only 29 species, less warblers but more hawks: Swainson's Hawk, Gray Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk and American Kestrel. On October 21, we went to Rosa Amarilla on the south shore with five birders managing to spot 35 species including Say's Phoebe, Common Raven, Happy Wren, White-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara and Chihuahuan Meadowlark. On October 31, a popular trip, we had 18 birders at Villa Corona, where the water level was back up to a reasonable level after almost drying up after the previous three years of drought. We identified 66 species including Common Yellowthroat, Cinnamon-rumped Seedeater, Ruddy Duck, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Northern Harrier, Clark's Grebe and Roseate Spoonbill. Monthly Sightings List Here are the 173 species observed around Lake Chapala in October: Ani, groove-billed Becard, rose-throated Blackbird, yellow-headed Bobwhite, northern (Ch) Bunting, blue Bunting, indigo (Mz) Bunting, painted (Ac) Bunting, varied Bushtit (Mz) Caracara, crested Chat, yellow-breasted (Ch) Coot, American Cormorant, neotropic Cowbird, bronzed Cowbird, brown-headed Cuckoo, squirrel Dove, common ground (Mz) Dove, Eurasian collared Dove, Inca Dove, mourning (At) Dove, white-tipped Dove, white-winged Duck, black-bellied whistling (Sa) Duck, fulvous whistling Duck, Mexican Duck, ruddy Egret, great Egret, snowy Egret, western cattle Elaenia, greenish (Mz) Falcon, peregrine (Mz) Finch, house Flycatcher, buff-breasted (Mz) Flycatcher, dusky Flycatcher, dusky-capped Flycatcher, gray Flycatcher, gray silky (Mz) Flycatcher, Hammond's (Mz) Flycatcher, least Flycatcher, Nutting's (Mz) Flycatcher, olive-sided (Mz) Flycatcher, social Flycatcher, vermilion Flycatcher, western Gallinule, common Gnatcatcher, blue-gray Goldfinch, lesser Grackle, great-tailed Grebe, least Grosbeak, black-headed Gull, laughing Gull, ring-billed Harrier, northern (Mz) Hawk, broad-winged (Sa,Mz) Hawk, common black (Mz) Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, gray Hawk, red-shouldered (Mz) Hawk, red-tailed Hawk, sharp-shinned Hawk, Swainson's (Mz) Hawk, white-tailed (Ra) Heron, black-crowned night Heron, great blue Heron, green Heron, tri-colored Hummingbird, berylline Hummingbird, broad-billed Hummingbird, broad-tailed Hummingbird, ruby-throated (Mz) Hummingbird, rufous (Mz) Hummingbird, violet-crowned Hummingbird, white-eared (Ct) Ibis, white-faced Jacana, northern Kestrel, American Killdeer Kingbird, Cassin's Kingbird, thick-billed Kingbird, tropical Kingbird, western Kingfisher, belted Kinglet, ruby-crowned (Ch) Kiskadee, great Kite, hook-billed (Mz) Kite, Mississippi (Mz) Meadowlark, Chihuahuan (Ra) Merlin (Ch,Mz) Mockingbird, blue Mockingbird, northern Motmot, russet-crowned Nightjar, buff-collared Oriole, black-backed Oriole, black-vented Oriole, Bullock's Oriole, hooded Oriole, orchard Oriole, streak-backed Osprey Owl, ferruginous pygmy Owl, great horned Parakeet, monk parrow, rusty-crowned ground Pelican, American white Pewee, greater Pewee, western wood Phoebe, black Phoebe, Say's (Ra) Pigeon, rock Raven, common Redstart, painted (Mz) Roadrunner, lesser Robin, American (Mz) Robin, rufous-backed Sandpiper, least Sandpiper, spotted Seedeater, cinnamon-rumped Shrike, loggerhead Sora Sparrow, Botteri's (Sa) Sparrow, chipping Sparrow, house Sparrow, lark Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, rufous-crowned (Mz) Sparrow, stripe-headed Stilt, black-necked Swallow, barn Swallow, cliff Swallow, northern rough-winged Swallow, violet-green Swift, Vaux's (Mz) Swift, white-throated (Mz) Tanager, flame-colored (Ct) Tanager, hepatic (Mz) Tanager, summer (Sa,Mz) Tanager, western Teal, blue-winged Tern, black (Sa) Tern, Caspian Tern, Forster's Thrasher, curve-billed Thrush, orange-billed nightingale Towhee, canyon Tyrannulet, northern beardless Vireo, Bell's Vireo, Cassin's Vireo, golden Vireo, plumbeous Vireo, warbling Vulture, black Vulture, turkey Warbler, black and white Warbler, black-throated gray Warbler, Grace's (Mz) Warbler, hermit Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Nashville Warbler, orange-crowned Warbler, rufous-capped Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, yellow Warbler, yellow-rumped Woodcreeper, white-striped (Ct) Woodpecker, golden-fronted Woodpecker, ladder-backed Wren, Bewick's Wren, canyon Wren, happy Wren, northern house Wren, Sinaloa (Mz) Wren, spotted Sighting Location codes:  Ac - Ajijic: La Cristina & El Bajio At - Trails above Ajijic Av - Ajijic village Ca - Lake Cajititlan & marsh Ch - Chapala Ct - Caracol Trail & Int'l School Cs - Chapala Haciendas & Las Brisas Cv - Cerro Viejo Dm - Dike: Jamay to Malteraña Dp - Dike: Maltaraña to La Palma Hv - Hidden Valley oak forest Ja - Jamay La - La Cañada & Hidden Valley Jo - Jocotepec Ld - Lerma & Duero rivers Mz - Mezcala Oc - Ocotlan Pe - Petatan area Ps - Pumping Station & Santa Cruz Pt - San Pedro Tesistan Pz - San Pedro Itzican/Poncitlan Ra - Rosa Amarilla loop Rc - Santa Rosa & Carnero dam Rp - Riberas del Pilar & Canyon Sa - San Antonio & Allen Lloyd Trail Sc - San Juan Cosala Sn - San Nicholas & Golf Club Tz - Tizapan canyon Te - San Juan Tecomatlan Tr - Las Trojes & Chupinaya Tu - Tuxcueca & San Luis Soyatlan Xt - Ixtlahuacan & Las Campanillas What is the "Lake Chapala Area"?  We define it as the whole area of the lake plus all land within 15km (or 7 miles) from the edge of the lake. Lake Chapala Birders is an informal group of bird observers led by John and Rosemary Keeling. Illustrated color folders showing our common birds are available for $200 pesos at Diane Pearl's Gallery, 11 am to 4 pm, Santa Margarita #23, at the east end of Riberas del Pilar. Also available from John Keeling on bird walks. We like to hear of bird sightings at: chapalabirders@yahoo.com. Check our website: ChapalaBirders.org There you will find our newsletters, illustrations of our birds and advice on buying binoculars, books and birding apps.