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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
| | | October Sightings & Christmas Bird Count Dates |
| In October a total of 131 species were reported around the lake (see the full list below).
October is the month in which we expect to see the returning migrants from up north. This fall the number of species seen is good, but the quantities of birds appear to be down. Perhaps this is because of warm weather in the north.
Earlier in the month Don Bell and Paul Hart joined John Keeling on a hike above Las Trojes which is becoming an annual affair to look for migrating warblers. At one point in the target area of the oak forest a small mixed group of warblers came through moving in a southerly direction, and in ten minutes they had moved on. They included painted redstart, black-throated gray warbler, Townsend's warbler and hermit warbler. Also seen on his hike were white-striped woodcreeper and buff-breasted flycatcher.
Christmas Bird Count Dates These are the dates for the local Counts:
Ajijic - Wednesday December 14
East End of the Lake - Friday December 16
Guadalajara - Sunday December 18
Primavera Forest - Sunday December 18
Mark your calendar and be sure to assist in at least one of these annual events. More details in the next newsletter. |
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| | Green-tailed Towhee |
|  Seen last month in Ajijic. |
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| | Another New Species for Lake Chapala (again) |
| At the beginning of the month John Keeling was drawn into his garden by an unusual bird call. Getting out the scope, a preening Green-tailed Towhee was identified. This is another new species for this area. It is said to be quite elusive, scratching for food at ground level, but is also occasionally seen on a prominent perch. This one was probably on migration.
The same size as a Canyon Towhee, with the same mousy brown head and body, this species has yellowish-green wings and tail, white throat and rusty crest. |
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| | Primavera Forest Trip & Bird Walk Coming Up |
| Wednesday November 9 we meet at La Christina at 8.00 a.m. Don Bell will lead us along the lake and around El Bajio and back. Expect to see an number of warblers and perhaps some vireo species. At around 10 o'clock we will go for breakfast at Doña Lolas and complete the list.
How to Get There: Drive west from Ajijic about 2 miles (5km). After El Bajio you will see signs for Las Palmas and Hacienda La Cristina. Take the road to La Cristina and park near the lake.
Saturday November 19 we will go on a special trip to the Primavera Forest which is a large protected area on the west side of Guadalajara. We will be led by Francisco Leon who works for the Primavera Forest Management Unit. Francisco insists that the first two hours after sunrise are the key time to view birds.
We will carpool from Dona's Donuts leaving at 6.00 a.m. sharp. Please reserve (766-1801 or chapalabirders @ yahoo.com). Francisco needs a list of names and ages for his office. We will enter areas not normally open to the public. Bring water, refreshments and a jacket. |
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| | Bird Walk Reports |
| On October 11 nine birders drove to the Sierra de Tapalpa under intermittent rain and low cloud. At one good pond we suffered high winds and 200 yards visibility. We saw the expected eastern bluebird and acorn woodpecker, as well as northern flicker and an unusual short-tailed hawk. Twenty seven species were recorded including four new ones for our Tapalpa master list.
On October 21 we had 11 birders out at the Pumping Station seeing 53 species including northern harrier, little blue heron, eastern meadowlark, white-tailed kite and greater yellowlegs. American white pelican was also seen - believed to be part of the group that stayed over for the summer, as the migrants have not returned yet. |
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| | October Sightings List |
| These are the 131 species observed in October around Lake Chapala:
Groove-billed ani
American avocet
Red-winged blackbird
Yellow-headed blackbird
Painted bunting (Ac)
Varied bunting
Bushtit
Crested caracara (Ra)
Yellow-breasted chat
American coot
Neotropic cormorant
Bronzed cowbird
Brown-headed cowbird
Common ground dove
Inca dove
Mourning dove
White-tipped dove
White-winged dove
Long-billed dowitcher (Dp)
Mexican duck
Ruddy duck (Ra)
Cattle egret
Great egret
Snowy egret
Elegant euphonia
Peregrine falcon (Dp)
House finch
Ash-throated flycatcher (Ac)
Buff-breasted flycatcher (Tr)
Cordilleran flycatcher
Dusky-capped flycatcher
Gray silky flycatcher
Least flycatcher
Social flycatcher
Vermilion flycatcher
Common gallinule
Blue-gray gnatcher
Marbled godwit (Dp)
Lesser goldfinch
Great-tailed grackle
Black-headed grosbeak
Blue grosbeak
Laughing gull
Ring-billed gull
Northern harrier
Cooper's hawk (Ac)
Red-tailed hawk
Zone-tailed hawk (Ac)
Black-crowned night heron
Great blue heron
Green heron
Little blue heron
Tri-colored heron
Beryline hummingbird
Black-chinned hummingbird
Broad-billed hummingbird
Ruby-throated hummingbird
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
Green kingfisher
Ruby-crowned kinglet
Great kiskadee
White-tailed kite
Eastern meadowlark (Ra)
Blue mockingbird
Northern mockingbird
Black-backed oriole
Black-vented oriole
Hooded oriole
Streak-backed oriole
American white pelican
Greater pewee
Rock pigeon
Northern pintail
Common raven
Painted redstart (Tr)
Lesser roadrunner
Rufous-backed robin
Spotted sandpiper
White-collared seedeater
Northern shoveler
Loggerhead shrike
House sparrow
Lark sparrow
Lincoln's sparrow
Rusty-crowned ground sparrow
Savannah sparrow (Ra)
Stripe-headed sparrow
Black-necked stilt
Barn swallow
Northern rough-winged swallow
Tree swallow
Hepatic tanager
Western tanager
Blue-winged teal
Curve-billed thrasher
Canyon towhee
Green-tailed towhee (Av)
Northern beardless tyrannulet
Plumbeous vireo
Black vulture
Turkey vulture
Black and white warbler
Black-throated gray warbler
Hermit warbler (Tr)
MacGillivray's warbler
Nashville warbler
Rufous-capped warbler
Townsend's warbler
Virginia's warbler
Wilson's warbler
Yellow warbler
Yellow-rumped warbler
American wigeon
White-striped woodcreeper (Tr)
Golden-fronted woodpecker
Ladder-backed woodpecker
Canyon wren
House wren
Spotted wren
Greater yellowlegs
Lesser yellowlegs
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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