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Lake Chapala Birders
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:
ChapalaBirders@yahoo.com
or phone 376-766-1801
Website:
ChapalaBirders.org
| | | July Sightings |
| In July a total of 83 species were reported around the lake (see the full list below).
One unusual species for the season was the sighting by Don Bell and John Keeling at the far end of the lake of a Wilson's Snipe. Howell and Webb, our birding bible, states that it is a fairly common winter visitor to Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras between October and April. Howell, however, considers historical reports of Wilson's Snipe breeding in central Mexico to be doubtful. We can take this sighting as a very unusual one.
Stan Dunn and John Keeling were surprised to find a lonely blue-winged teal on the shore behind the pumping station, that should have gone north to breed. (Howell says a small number over-summer locally in central Mexico.) |
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| | Wilson's Snipe |
|  Seen in July. |
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| | Bird Walks Coming Up |
| Tuesday, August 9, 8.00 a.m. at the Jocotepec Malecon, Don Bell will lead a bird walk in the park and along the malecon. Expect to see golden-fronted woodpecker, streak-backed oriole, black-crowned night heron, white-collared seedeater and rufous-backed robin. In particular we will be looking for the colony of Eurasian collared doves. At about 10.00 a.m. we will go for breakfast at Doña Lola.
How to Get There:
Driving west from Ajijic, on the final right hand curve joining to the main street of Jocotepec you turn left, almost opposite a Pemex station. Park in the lakeside parking area.
Thursday August 25, 8.00 a.m. at the Santa Cruz Pumping Station, John Keeling will lead a bird walk around the shoreline and adjacent fields. Expect to see stripe-headed sparrow, loggerhead shrike, Cassin's kingbird, tri-colored heron, and a selection of other water birds. At 10.00 we will head to Las Delicias for breakfast and to complete the list.
How to Get There:
Driving from Ajijic, go through Chapala taking the shore road from the old train station. After passing the village of Santa Cruz on your left you will see the three pump towers of the pumping station. Take the very first gravel road to the right after the pumping station, turn left when you come to the T junction and park at the next intersection where the road (muddy) continues to the lake.
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| | Trip to Tapalpa |
| Mid-month Stan and Darnelle Dunn traveled with John Keeling on a day trip to the Sierra de Tapalpa which is a plateau 2,000 feet higher than Ajijic and only 90 minutes drive away. Species seen of special interest were striped sparrow, eastern bluebird and the arresting collared towhee. Also identified were buff-breasted flycatcher, acorn woodpecker, blue-black grassquit and eastern meadowlark. |
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| | Bird Walk Reports |
| On July 15, six birders joined John Keeling at La Cristina on the west side of Ajijic. They were treated to sightings of 33 species which included northern bobwhite, blue grosbeak, berylline hummingbird, black-vented oriole and loggerhead shrike.
On July 25 seven birders joined Stan Dunn at Cristiania Park in Chapala, where there were a total of 33 species (once again) including black-backed oriole, social flycatcher, tri-colored heron, and tropical kingbird. |
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| | July Sightings List |
| These are the 83 species observed in July around Lake Chapala:
Groove-billed ani
American avocet
Red-winged blackbird
Yellow-headed blackbird (Dm)
Northern bobwhite (Cs,Ac)
Crested caracara (Dm)
American coot
Neotropic cormorant
Bronzed cowbird
Common ground dove
Inca dove
Mourning dove
White-winged dove
Black-bellied whistling duck (Dm)
Fulvous whistling duck
Mexican duck
Ruddy duck (Cs)
Cattle egret
Great egret
Snow egret
House finch
Gray silky flycatcher
Social flycatcher
Vermillion flycatcher
Lesser goldfinch
Great-tailed grackle
Pied-billed grebe
Blue grosbeak
Laughing gull
Ring-billed gull
Red-tailed hawk
Black-crowned night heron
Great blue heron
Green heron
Tri-colored heron
Berylline hummingbird
Black-chinned hummingbird
Broad-billed hummingbird
Magnificent hummingbird
Sparkling-tailed hummingbird
Violet-crowned hummingbird
White-faced ibis
Northern jacana
Killdeer
Cassin's kingbird
Thick-billed kingbird
Tropical kingbird
Great kiskadee
White-tailed kite
Eastern meadowlark (Dm)
Blue mockingbird
Common moorhen
Black-backed oriole
Black-vented oriole
Streak-backed oriole
Great horned owl
American white pelican
Western wood pewee
Rock pigeon
Common raven
Rufous-backed robin
White-collared seedeater
Loggerhead shrike
Wilson's snipe (Dm)
House sparrow
Rusty-crowned ground sparrow
Stripe-headed sparrow
Black-necked stilt
Wood stork
Barn swallow
Cliff swallow (Tu)
Northern rough-winged swallow
Blue-winged teal (Cs)
Curve-billed thrasher
Orange-billed nightingale thrush
Canyon towhee
Black vulture
Turkey vulture
Golden-fronted woodpecker
Ladder-backed woodpecker
Bewick's wren
Canyon wren
Spotted wren
Location codes:
Ac - Ajijic: La Cristina/El Bajio
At - Trails above Ajijic
Av - Ajijic village
Ch - Chapala
Cl - Lake Cajititlan
Cs - Santa Cruz/pumping station
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 - Las Trojes/oak forest
Tu - Tuxcueca
Xl - Ixtlahuacan/Las Campanillas
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