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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
| | | 146 Species Last Month |
| In March a total of 146 species were seen around Lake Chapala. (The full list appears below).
Of particular interest was a flame-colored tanager seen on the hike in the oak forest near Las Trojes. This species is seen only occasionally in our area.
Currently we are in the middle of the March-April northern migration season. Some species have already left, but many others are moving through on their way up north.
We have been receiving reports recently of Buff-collared Nightjars calling at night all along the lakeshore. Their ascending call is quite distinctive. |
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| | Flame-colored Tanager |
|  Flame-colored Tanager seen near Las Trojes in March. |
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| | Upcoming Bird Walks |
| Friday April 13, at 8.00 a.m. John Roynon will lead a bird walk at El Bajio. We will see a selection of field birds and shore birds, perhaps rusty-crowned ground sparrow and if we are lucky orange-billed nightingale thrush. At about 10.00 we will go for breakfast to Doña Lola and complete the bird list.
How to Get There: Drive west from Ajijic about two miles; watch for the sign 'El Bajio', exit towards the lake; park almost immediately on the side road that parallels the carretera.
Monday April 23 at 8.00 a.m., John Keeling will lead a walk up the Riberas Ravine. We expect to see greater pewee, squirrel cuckoo and streak-backed orioles. At about 10.00 we will head for Mom's restaurant for breakfast.
How to Get There: From Ajijic, drive east to Riberas del Pilar; opposite Mom's restaurant turn uphill onto San Jorge; proceed three blocks to the edge of the hill and park. |
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| | Donate for a Mexican Birder |
| Leonel Herrera, a grad student in ornithology in Morelia, has received a travel scholarship to go to the North American Ornithology Conference being held in Vancouver in August. The scholarship does not cover the costs of staying in Vancouver, or the costs of obtaining US and Canadian visas which will be $500 USD alone.
Certain Seattle birders have offered to match donations. If you can donate, please contact sponsor Georgia Conti at antep12@gmail.com in Patzcuaro. |
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| | Bird Walk Reports |
| On March 14, a convoy of vehicles took 25 keen birders around the Rosa Amarilla loop. Most got excellent views of all the interesting species which included northern mockingbird, Brewer's blackbird, crested caracara, Cooper's hawk, black phoebe and wood stork.
On March 16, eleven birding hikers went up a new trail east of Las Trojes which is totally oak forest. We saw plumbeous vireo, red-faced warbler, flame colored tanager, hepatic tanager, ruby-crowned kinglet and white-eared hummingbird.
On March 18, nine birders made the day trip to Sierra de Tapalpa managing to increase the Tapalpa list by nine species including Cooper's hawk, stripe-headed sparrow, clay-colored sparrow, black-crowned night heron and long-billed dowitcher.
On March 28, twenty four birders scoured the shore behind the pumping station and came up with a remarkable list of 69 species, including rose-throated becard, mourning dove, bushtit, white-tailed kite, American pipit, and in a flowering jacaranda an orchard oriole and black-backed oriole. |
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| | March List |
| Here are the 146 species observed in March around Lake Chapala:
Groove-billed ani
American avocet
Rose-throated becard (Cs)
Brewer's blackbird (Ra)
Red-winged blackbird
Yellow-headed blackbird
Indigo bunting
Lazuli bunting
Varied bunting
Bushtit
Crested caracara
Yellow-breasted chat
American coot
Neotropic cormorant
Bronzed cowbird
Brown-headed cowbird
Squirrel cuckoo
Inca dove
Mourning dove (Cs)
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
Cordilleran flycatcher
Dusky-capped flycatcher
Gray-silky flycatcher (Av)
Social flycatcher
Vermillion flycatcher
Gadwall
Common gallinule
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
Lesser goldfinch
Great-tailed grackle
Least grebe
Pied-billed grebe
Black-headed grosbeak
Blue grosbeak
Laughing gull
Ring-billed gull
Northern harrier
Red-tailed hawk
White-tailed hawk (Ra)
Black-crowned night-heron
Great-blue heron
Green heron
Tri-colored heron
Beryline hummingbird
Broad-billed hummingbird
Violet-crowned hummingbird
White-eared hummingbird
White-faced ibis
Northern jacana
American kestrel
Killdeer
Cassin's kingbird
Thick-billed kingbird
Tropical kingbird
Belted kingfisher
Ruby-crowned kinglet
Great kiskadee
White-tailed kite (Cs)
Eastern meadowlark (Ra)
Blue mockingbird
Northern mockingbird
Russet-crowned motmot
Buff-collared nightjar
Black-backed oriole
Black-vented oriole
Bullock's oriole
Hooded oriole
Orchard oriole
Streak-backed oriole
Tropical parula
American white pelican
Greater pewee
Western wood pewee
Black phoebe (Ra)
Rock pigeon
American pipit
Common raven
Lesser roadrunner (Ra)
Rufous-backed robin
Least sandpiper
Spotted sandpiper
White-collared seedeater
Northern shoveler
Loggerhead shrike
Wilson's snipe (Ra)
Brown-backed solitaire
Sora (Ra)
Clay-colored sparrow
House sparrow
Lark sparrow
Lincoln's sparrow
Rusty-crowned ground sparrow
Savannah sparrow
Stripe-headed sparrow
Black-necked stilt
Wood stork
Barn swallow
Northern rough-winged swallow
Tree swallow
Flame-colored tanager (Tr)
Hepatic tanager
Summer tanager (Ac)
Western tanager
Blue-winged teal
Cinnamon teal
Caspian tern
Forster's tern
Curve-billed thrasher
Orange-billed nightingale thrush
Canyon towhee
Cassin's vireo
Golden vireo
Plumbeous vireo
Warbling vireo
Black vulture
Turkey vulture
Black and white warbler
Black-throated gray warbler
Lucy's warbler
Nashville warbler
Orange-crowned warbler
Red-faced warbler (Tr)
Townsend's warbler (Tr)
Virginia's warbler
Yellow warbler
Yellow-rumped warbler
Cedar waxwing (Av)
Golden-fronted woodpecker
Ladder-backed woodpecker
Bewick's wren
Canyon wren
House wren
Marsh wren
Spotted wren
Lesser yellowlegs
Gray-crowned yellowthroat (Cs)
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
Ld - Lerma & Duero rivers
Pe - Petatan causeway
Po - Poncitlan
Pt - San Pedro Tesistan
Pz - San Pedro Itzican
Ra - Rosa Amarilla loop
Rc - Santa Rosa: Carnero dam
Rp - Riberas del Pilar
Sc - San Juan Cosala
Sv - San Antonio/Chula Vista
Te - San Juan Tecomatlan/Mezcala
Tr - Las Trojes/oak forest
Tu - Tuxcueca
Xl - Ixtlahuacan/Las Campanillas
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