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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118 Species Seen in November
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The species observed around the Lake last month are listed at the end of this newsletter.
Interesting sightings included a Gray Hawk seen by Don Bell in the El Bajio area (see photo below), several Black-bellied Whistling Ducks seen in Chapala on the first bird walk of the Chapala Bird Festival, and an immature Yellow-bellied Sapsucker seen on the second bird walk of the Festival. We continue to receive reports of parrot sightings on the lakeshore including a Monk Parakeet in La Floresta.
Be sure to sign up for the annual Ajijic Christmas Bird Count (CBC) being held Monday, December 16 (see details below). This is the biggest birding event of the year. Everyone is welcome to take part.
Other Bird Counts: The Guadalajara Christmas Bird Count is on Sunday, January 5 and the Primavera Forest Christmas Bird Count is being held Sunday, December 15.
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Gray Hawk
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Gray Hawk as seen near El Bajio in November.
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Christmas Bird Count Information
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Ajijic CBC
The Eighth Ajijic Christmas Bird Count will be held on Monday December 16. We usually set up six teams to cover the territory within our official 15 mile-diameter circle. Everyone is welcome to help with the counting and recording of the species and the number of each species seen, and also to attend the counting celebration dinner at 6.00 pm the same day. Team members should bank on counting for at least four hours. Please arrange to pre-register for the count and dinner, either at the breakfast after the San Antonio Bird Walk, or between 10.00 am and 1.00 pm Saturday Dec.12 at John Keeling's (Villas del Tepalo, Villa 46, 766-1801). (Drive uphill from Donas Donuts, fork half right in front of Min Wah Restaurant, continue uphill, turn in at Callejon al Tepalo 140, on the right opposite the school.)
CBC at Far End of Lake
The "Cienega Christmas Bird Count" at the other end of the lake will be held on Wednesday December 18. This is an all day affair that attracts the serious birders who are divided into two teams for this count. For more information ask John.
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Upcoming Bird Walks and Trips
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Our birdwalks are open to all those interested in birds, both beginners and experienced birders. Just bring binoculars and show up. We always have knowledgable birders on hand to identify the species.
On Friday December 6, we will meet to carpool at 8.15 a.m. at Donas Donuts and leave immediately for Villa Corona (a one hour drive). We expect to see roseate spoonbills, woodstorks, American avocets and other shore birds. Bring refreshments as there are no good breakfast options in the area. Do not expect to be back before 12.00 noon.
If you plan to come, please email John at chapalabirders@yahoo.com to say whether or not you will have a vehicle - to help us balance passengers and cars.
On Wednesday, December 11, we will meet at the San Antonio malecon at 8.00 a.m. This currently offers excellent birding because it has a shallow lagoon with reeds, favoring good numbers of herons, egrets, ducks and kingbirds. At about 9.30 we will head to Sunrise Restaurant for breakfast and prepare the bird list.
How to Get There: (Print these instructions.) Driving from Ajijic turn south at the first traffic light in San Antonio onto San Jose (this is the intersection where you turn uphill for the Little Theater and El Parque, near Coca Cola). Drive straight down to the lake, parallel park on the raised cocrete circle - taking care not to fall off the narrow ramp. (When you go back, return to the first cross steet (Paz), turn left, then first right onto Colon. Follow Colon up to the carretera.)
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Bird Walk and Trip Reports
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On November 8, we had eleven birders out at the Jocotepec Malecon Park. We managed to sight brown pelican, Eurasian collared dove, ruby-crowned kinglet, orange-crowned warbler, and house wren for a total of 41 species.
On November 18, fourteen birders joined us at the Pumping Station at Santa Cruz. We saw crested caracara, cinnamon teal, Forster's tern, American pipit, tropical kingbird and Cassin's kingbird. The total count was 44 species.
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The November List
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Here are the 118 species observed in November around Lake Chapala:
Ani, groove-billed
Blackbird, red-winged
Blackbird, yellow-headed
Bunting, painted
Bunting, varied
Bushtit
Caracara, crested
Coot, American
Cormorant, neotropic
Cowbird, bronzed
Cowbird, brown-headed
Dove, Eurasian collared
Dove, Inca
Dove, white-tipped
Dove, white-winged
Duck, black-bellied whistling (Ch)
Duck, fulvous-whistling (Sa)
Duck, Mexican
Duck, ruddy
Egret, cattle
Egret, great
Egret, snowy
Euphonia, elegant
Finch, house
Flycatcher, ash-throated
Flycatcher, dusky-capped
Flycatcher, gray-silky
Flycatcher, least
Flycatcher, social
Flycatcher, vermilion
Gadwall
Gallinule, common
Gnatcatcher, blue-gray
Goldfinch, lesser
Grackle, great-tailed
Grosbeak, black-headed
Grosbeak, blue
Gull, laughing
Gull, ring-billed
Hawk, Cooper's (Ac)
Hawk, gray (Ac)
Hawk, red-tailed
Heron, black-crowned night
Heron, great blue
Heron, green (Ca)
Heron, tricolored
Hummingbird, beryline
Hummingbird, broad-billed
Hummingbird, violet-crowned
Ibis, white-faced
Jacana, northern
Kestrel, American
Killdeer
Kingbird, Cassin's
Kingbird, thick-billed
Kingbird, tropical
Kingbird, western
Kingfisher, belted
Kinglet, ruby-crowned
Kiskadee, great
Merlin
Mockingbird, blue
Mockingbird, northern
Oriole, black-backed
Oriole, black-vented
Oriole, Bullock's
Oriole, hooded
Oriole, streak-backed
Pelican, American white
Pelican, brown (Jo,Ca)
Pewee, greater
Pewee, western wood
Pigeon, rock
Pintail, northern (Ca)
Pipit, American (Cs)
Raven, common
Robin, rufous-backed
Sandpiper, least
Sandpiper, spotted
Sapsucker, yellow-bellied (Ch)
Seedeater, white-collared
Shoveler, northern (Ca,Cs)
Shrike, loggerhead
Sparrow, house
Sparrow, lark
Sparrow, rusty-crowned ground
Sparrow, stripe-headed
Stork, wood
Swallow, barn
Swallow, northern rough-winged
Swallow, tree
Tanager, hepatic
Tanager, western
Teal, cinnamon (Cs)
Tern, Caspian
Tern, Forster's (Cs)
Thrasher, curve-billed
Thrush, orange-billed nightingale
Towhee, canyon
Vireo, plumbeous
Vireo, warbling
Vulture, black
Vulture, turkey
Warbler, black and white
Warbler, black-throated gray
Warbler, Lucy's
Warbler, Nashville
Warbler, orange-crowned
Warbler, Virginia's
Warbler, Wilson's
Warbler, yellow
Warbler, yellow-rumped
Woodpecker, golden-fronted
Woodpecker, ladder-backed
Wren Bewick's
Wren, canyon
Wren, house
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
Ja - Jamay
Jo - Jocotepec
Ld - Lerma & Duero rivers
Pe - Petatan area
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
Sn - San Nicholas/Golf Club
Tz - Tizapan canyon
Te - San Juan Tecomatlan/Mezcala
Tr - Las Trojes/oak forest
Tu - Tuxcueca canyon
Xt - Ixtlahuacan/Las Campanillas
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