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
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83 Species Last Month
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In June a total of 83 species were seen around Lake Chapala. (The full list appears below).
John Keeling has sighted a Greenish Elaenia at the same spot on a trail above Ajijic two years in a row. This is an uncommon bird that looks like a flycatcher, but behaves like a vireo in the way it gleans insects from leaves. Here it is at the northern end of its range being resident from Mexico to Argentina. (See photo below).
Other sightings of interest were a roseate spoonbill on the mudflats at Ixtlahuacan, and both fulvous and black-bellied whistling ducks at the Lake Cajtitlan marsh.
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Greenish Elaenia
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Greenish Elaenia photo by Vince Gravel.
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Upcoming Bird Walks & Trips
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On Tuesday July 10 we will meet at 8.00 a.m. at El Bajio. With mature trees this area always has a good variety of birds, including orioles and wrens, as well as shore birds. At 10.00 we will go for breakfast at Doña Lola's to prepare the bird list.
How to Get There: On the carretera drive west from the main traffic light at Colon in Ajijic for about a mile. Turn left at the sign to El Bajio; park on the section which parallels the carretera.
On Wednesday July 25 we will carpool at Donas Donuts for 8.00 a.m. departure to the Sierra de Tapalpa. We will bird from 9.00 to 12.30 and have lunch in Tapalpa around 1.00. We expect to see some species which are not common around Lake Chapala. If you want to go, please phone John Keeling at 766-1801 so we can plan to minimize the number of vehicles.
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Bird Walk and Trip Reports
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June 7, John Keeling led the visit to the Wojciechowski's to see russet-cowned motmots. Nine people turned up, and so did the motmots which were taking food to their babies located in a drainage pipe in the sloping garden. Also sighted were: blue mockingbird, black-vented oriole, western wood pewee and thick-billed kingbird. Thank you, Margot and Bodan, for hosting this visit.
June 18, Robert Taylor led a small group round Cristianía Park in Chapala. They managed to sight 25 species including black-necked stilt, white-collared seedeater, Cassin's kingbird and tricolored heron.
June 28, John Keeling led a party of four to Rancho El Venado on the Rio Verde. Interesting sightings included: common black hawk (rare), northern bobwhite, elegant trogon and gila woodpecker. Some in the party enjoyed time in the swimming pools fed continuously from hot springs in the side of the rock cliff.
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June List
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Here are the 83 species observed in June around Lake Chapala:
Ani, groove billed
Becard, rose-throated (At)
Blackbird, red-winged
Bushtit
Caracara, crested
Coot, American
Cormorant, neotropic
Cowbird, bronzed
Cowbird, brown-headed
Cuckoo, squirrel
Dove, Inca
Dove, white-tipped
Dove, white-winged
Duck, black-bellied whistling (Ca)
Duck, fulvous whistling (Ca)
Duck, Mexican
Duck, ruddy (Ra,Cs)
Egret, cattle
Egret, great
Egret, snowy
Elaenia, greenish (At)
Finch, house
Flycatcher, gray silky
Flycatcher, social
Flycatcher, vermillion
Gallinule, common
Goldfinch, lesser
Grackle, great-tailed
Grebe, pied-billed
Grosbeak, black-headed
Grosbeak, blue
Hawk, red-tailed
Heron, black-crowned night
Heron, great blue
Heron, tricolored
Hummingbird, berylline
Hummingbird, broad-billed
Hummingbird, magnificent (Ac)
Hummingbird, sparkling-tailed (Ac)
Hummingbird, violet-crowned
Hummingbird, white-eared
Ibis, white-faced
Jacana, northern
Killdeer
Kingbird, Cassin's
Kingbird, thick-billed
Kingbird, tropical
Kiskadee, great
Meadowlark, eastern (Ra)
Mockingbird, blue
Mockingbird, northern
Motmot, russet-crowned
Nightjar, buff-collared (Ac)
Oriole, black-backed
Oriole, black-vented
Oriole, streak-backed
Owl, great-horned
Pewee, greater
Pewee, western wood
Pigeon, rock
Raven, common
Robin, rufous-backed
Seedeater, white-collared
Shrike, loggerhead
Sparrow, house
Sparrow, rusty-crowned ground
Sparrow, stripe-headed
Spoonbill, roseate (Xt)
Stilt, black-necked
Stork, wood (Ra,Xt)
Swallow, barn
Swallow, northern rough-winged
Thrasher, curve-billed
Thrush, orange-billed nightingale
Towhee, canyon
Vireo, golden
Vulture, black
Vulture, turkey
Warbler, yellow
Woodpecker, golden fronted
Wren Bewick's
Wren, canyon
Wren, spotted
Location codes:
Ac - Ajijic: La Cristina/El Bajio
At - Trails above Ajijic
Av - Ajijic village
Ca - Lake Cajititlan
Ch - Chapala
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 & canyon
Sa - San Antonio/Chula Vista
Sc - San Juan Cosala
Tz - Tizapan canyon
Te - San Juan Tecomatlan/Mezcala
Tr - Las Trojes/oak forest
Tu - Tuxcueca canyon
Xt - Ixtlahuacan/Las Campanillas
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