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AVES AJIJIC
Lake Chapala Birding Club
Observadores de Aves del Lago de Chapala
Your hosts
John and Rosemary Keeling
If you have reports of interesting bird sightings near Lake Chapala, or need information about birding around the lake, email us at:
avesajijic@yahoo.com
or phone 766-1801 in Ajijic.
Website:
avesajijic.com
| | | Species Seen in November |
| We observed 150 species around the lake in November - the full list is at the end of this newsletter. Once again we have a new species for the Lake Chapala list - a Black-capped Vireo spotted by Don Bell at El Bajio on the west side of Ajijic. Other unusual sightings included an Eared Grebe seen by John and Rosemary Keeling from the dike at the other end of the lake, a Hermit Warbler seen above Las Trojes by Paul Hart and John Keeling, and a Rose-throated Becard seen on the bird walk at Cristiania Park in Chapala. Townsend's Warblers have been reported by various people, and the Yellow-winged Cacique first seen in Riberas in the spring can still be seen there. It is a presumed cage-escapee, as it is not native to this area. |
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| | Black-capped Vireo |
|  Observed in November at El Bajio. |
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| | Christmas Bird Count Information |
| The Ajijic count (officially the Lake Chapala Count) will be held Wednesday December 15. This is the biggest event in our calendar. It offers a great way for birders of all levels to enjoy a day in the field, sharpen their birding skills and discover good local spots to find birds.
Sign up will on Monday December 13, 10.00 a.m. to noon in the foyer of the Auditorio in La Floresta (or on the December 6 birdwalk, or by special arrangement with John Keeling.) When we know how many keen volunteers we have, we will divide people into teams. Each team will be assigned a route. The shore from San Juan Cosala to the Chapala Country Club will be divided into several specific routes, as will be the dams between Santa Cruz and Lake Cajititlan. We are hoping small groups of hikers will go up into the oak forests above Las Trojes and into the Hidden Valley. Observers should expect to count birds from 8.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and attend the celebration dinner at 6.30 p.m. the same evening.
The count at the other end of the lake (Cienega de Chapala) will be Friday December 17. This count is likely to produce interesting species such as roseate spoonbill, green kingfisher, eared grebe, osprey, peregrine falcon, and northern harrier. Contact John Keeling if you are interested in taking part in this count.
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| | Upcoming Bird Walk |
| Monday, December 6, join leader Don Bell at El Bajio at 8.00 a.m. This area is good for vireos, warblers and other small birds. At about 10.00 a.m. we will go to Fond Doña Lola restaurant for breakfast and prepare the sightings list. You can take this opportunity to sign up for the Christmas Bird Count.
To Get There: From Ajijic, drive west towards Jocotepec. At about 3 miles from the Colon traffic light you will see a sign on the left to El Bajio. Exit and park fairly close to the carretera. |
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| | Report on November Bird Walk |
| On November 16, a group of 22 birders managed to spot 47 bird species inside Christiania Park in Chapala, and at a shallow-water viewing spot just east of the old train station. Species included Eurasian collared dove (previously seen only in Jocotepec), American white pelican, Wilson's snipe, and the biggest surprise, a clear sighting of a rose-breasted becard. |
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| | November Sightings List |
| Here are the 150 species sighted in November:
Groove-billed ani
Rose-throated becard (Ch)
Red-winged blackbird
Yellow-headed blackbird
Indigo bunting
Lazuli bunting
Painted bunting
Varied bunting
Bushtit
Crested caracara
Yellow-breasted chat
American coot
Neotropic cormorant
Bronzed cowbird
Brown-headed cowbird
Eurasian collared dove
Inca dove
Mourning dove
White-tipped dove
White-winged dove
Long-billed dowitcher
Mexican duck
Ruddy duck
Cattle egret
Great egret
Snowy egret
Elegant euphonia
House finch
Ash-throated flycatcher (At)
Cordilleran flycatcher
Dusky-capped flycatcher (At)
Gray-silky flycatcher (Tr)
Hammond's flycatcher (Tr)
Least flycatcher
Social flycatcher
Vermillion flycatcher
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
Lesser goldfinch
Great-tailed grackle
Eared grebe (Dm)
Least grebe
Pied-billed grebe
Black-headed grosbeak
Blue grosbeak
Laughing gull
Ring-billed gull
Northern harrier (Dp)
Cooper's hawk
Red-tailed hawk
Black-crowned night heron
Great-blue heron
Green heron
Little blue heron
Tricolored heron
Berylline hummingbird
Broad-billed hummingbird
Ruby-throated hummingbird (At)
Rufous hummingbird
Violet-crowned hummingbird
White-faced ibis
Northern jacana
American kestrel
Killdeer
Cassin's kingbird
Thick-billed kingbird
Tropical kingbird
Western kingbird
Belted kingfisher
Ruby-crowned kinglet (Tr)
Great kiskadee
White-tailed kite
Eastern Meadowlark
Blue mockingbird
Northern mockingbird
Russet-crowned motmot
Black-backed oriole
Black-vented oriole
Bullock's oriole
Hooded oriole
Streak-backed oriole
Osprey
American white pelican
Brown pelican (Dp)
Greater pewee (Tr)
Western wood pewee
Black phoebe (Dp)
Rock pigeon
Northern pintail
Common raven
American redstart
Painted redstart (Tr,Aj,At)
American robin (Tr)
Rufous-backed robin
Least sandpiper
Spotted sandpiper
Yellow-bellied sapsucker (Jo)
Lesser scaup
White-collared seedeater
Northern shoveller
Loggerhead shrike
Wilson's snipe
Chipping sparrow
House sparrow
Lark sparrow
Lincoln's sparrow
Rusty-crowned ground sparrow
Stripe-headed sparrow
White-crowned sparrow (Ac)
Roseate spoonbill (Dp)
Black-necked stilt
Barn swallow
Northern rough-winged swallow
Tree swallow
Western tanager
Blue-winged teal
Cinnamon teal
Green-winged teal
Caspian tern
Curve-billed thrasher
Orange-billed nightingale thrush
Canyon towhee
Black-capped vireo (Ac)
Plumbeous vireo
Warbling vireo
Black vulture
Turkey vulture
Black and white warbler
Black-throated gray warbler
Hermit warbler (Tr)
Lucy's warbler (Ac)
Nashville warbler
Orange-crowned warbler (At)
Rufous-capped warbler (At)
Tennessee warbler (Ac)
Townsend's warbler (At,Tr)
Virginia's warbler (At)
Wilson's warbler
Yellow warbler
Yellow-rumped warbler
American wigeon
Golden-fronted woodpecker
Ladder-backed woodpecker
Bewick's wren
Canyon wren
Happy wren
Northern wren
Marsh wren (Ca)
Spotted wren
Greater yellowlegs
Common yellowthroat (Dm)
Location codes:
Ac - Ajijic: La Cristina/El Bajio
At - Trails above Ajijic
Av - Ajijic village
Ch - Chapala
Ca - Lake Cajititlan
Cs - Santa Cruz de la Soledad
Dm - Dike near Malteraña
Dp - Dike near La Palma
Hv - Hidden Valley oak forest
Jo - Jocotepec
Lc - La Cañada
Ld - Lerma & Duero rivers
Pe - Petatan causeway
Po - Poncitlan
Pt - San Pedro Tesistan
Pz - San Pedro Itzican
Rc - Santa Rosa: Carnero dam
Rp - Riberas del Pilar
Sc - San Juan Cosala
Sv - San Antonio/Chula Vista
Te - San Juan Tecomatlan
Tr - Trails above Las Trojes
Tu - Tuxcueca
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