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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
| | | September Sightings |
| In September a total of 107 species were reported around the lake (see the full list below).
The big interest this month has been the exploration of our newly-discovered birding area located on an elevated plateau at the village of Rosa Amarilla, just a few minutes drive from the south shore of the lake, and only a one-hour drive from Ajijic.
Here we have seen returning migrants such as American kestrel and northern harrier (illustrated), resident flocks of ravens, red-winged blackbirds and eastern meadowlarks, as well as wood storks which are summer visitors here. |
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| | Northern Harrier Returns |
|  Seen last month at Rosa Amarilla. |
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| | Another New Species for Lake Chapala |
| On our September 8 Bird Walk at Rosa Amarilla we saw Botteri's Sparrows which are a new sighting for the Lake Chapala area. These are said to be shy, though they are also known for sitting on the topmost branches of bushes. We saw several. One came to a fence close by and suddenly behaved like a wren folding its tail feathers together, cocking its tail up, and then dropping into the grass.
They are relatively plain, with pink legs, flat head, unstreaked breast, small line through the eye, and a bit of yellow in the leading edge of the wing (marginal coverts). They like open grassland with a few bushes. |
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| | Bird Walks Coming Up |
| Tuesday, October 11 we will go to the mountain village of Tapalpa. This will be a day trip returning late afternoon (5.00 p.m.) We carpool at Donas Donuts departing 8.00 a.m. Driving time is 1.5 hours. John Keeling will lead the group at various proven spots from 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. at which time we will head into the village of Tapalpa to have lunch. Bring snacks for the morning. Expect to see eastern bluebirds and migrating hummingbirds. We may see Mexican jay, the colorful collared towhee and striped sparrow.
Friday October 21, Don Bell will lead us in the area behind the Pumping Station, which remains our top local birding spot. We will meet there at 8.30 a.m. and at 10.30 we will head to Las Delicias for breakfast and to complete the list. Expect to see a good variety of shore birds and field birds including great blue heron, green heron, tri-colored heron and perhaps a little blue heron.
How to Get There: Drive east from Chapala passing Santa Cruz on your left and look out on your right for the pumping station which has three gray pump towers and a sign "Aqueducto". Take the first (hidden) gravel road to your right immediately after the pumping station. After a mile turn left at the T intersection, then after a quarter mile turn right and park near the water. |
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| | Bird Walk Reports |
| On September 18 nine enthusiastic birders joined John Keeling on the Rosa Amarilla loop. Sightings included Botteri's sparrow, crested caracara, eastern meadowlark, woodstork, black-bellied whistling duck, and cinnamon teal. In all 36 species were sighted.
On September 19, four intrepid birders joined Robert Taylor at the Cajititlan Marsh. We found black-backed and streak-backed orioles, ring-billed and laughing gulls, northern jacana and blue-gray gnatcatcher. The total was 43 species. |
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| | September Sightings List |
| These are the 107 species observed in September around Lake Chapala:
Groove-billed ani
American avocet
Red-winged blackbird
Yellow-headed blackbird
Crested caracara
American coot
Neotropic cormorant
Brown-headed cowbird
Squirrel cuckoo
Common ground dove
Eurasian collared dove (Jo)
Inca dove
Mourning dove
White-tipped dove
White-winged dove
Black-bellied whistling duck (Ra)
Mexican Duck
Cattle egret
Great egret
Snowy egret
Elegant euphonia (Rp)
House finch
Gray silky flycatcher (Av)
Social flycatcher
Vermillion flycatcher
Common gallinule
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
Marbled godwit
Lesser goldfinch
Great-tailed grackle
Least grebe
Pied-billed grebe
Black-headed grosbeak
Blue grosbeak
Laughing gull
Ring-billed gull
Northern harrier (Ra)
Red-tailed hawk
White-tailed hawk
Black-crowned night heron
Great-blue heron
Green heron
Tri-colored heron
Berylline hummingbird
Black-chinned hummingbird
Broad-billed hummingbird
Violet-crowned hummingbird
White-faced ibis
Northern jacana
American kestrel
Killdeer
Cassin's kingbird
Thick-billed kingbird
Belted kingfisher (Cs)
Green kingfisher (Dp)
Great kiskadee
White-tailed kite
Eastern meadowlark (Ra)
Blue mockingbird
Northern mockingbird (Ra)
Black-backed oriole
Black-vented oriole
Hooded oriole
Orchard oriole
Streak-backed oriole
American white pelican
Greater pewee
Western wood pewee
Rock pigeon
Common raven
Rufous-backed robin
Spotted sandpiper
White-collared seedeater
Northern shoveler
Loggerhead shrike
Botteri's sparrow (Ra)
Chipping sparrow
House sparrow
Lark sparrow
Rustry-crowned ground sparrow
Stripe-headed sparrow
Black-necked stilt
Wood stork
Barn swallow
Cliff swallow
Northern rough-winged swallow
Tree swallow
Blue-winged teal
Cinnamon teal
Black tern (Dm)
Curve-billed thrasher
Orange-billed nightingale thrush
Canyon towhee
Black vulture
Turkey vulture
Black-throated gray warbler
Golden-crowned warbler (Av)
Nashville warbler
Wilson's warbler
Yellow warbler
Golden-fronted woodpecker
Ladder-backed woodpecker
Bewick's wren
Canyon wren
Happy wren
Spotted wren
Gray-crowned yellowthroat
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
Ra - Rosa Amarilla
Rc - Santa Rosa: Carnero dam
Rp - Riberas del Pilar
Ra - Rosa Amarilla Loop
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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