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
|
|
97 Species Seen Last Month
|
|
With this edition of the newsletter we are celebrating five full years of Monthly Lake Chapala Birdlists. Our next challenge is to analyze the data - which requires first tediously entering it into a database program!
Interesting recent daylight sightings include a Barn Owl at Cajijitlan Marsh and a Great Horned Owl at Rosa Amarilla, and currently we are hearing Great Horned Owls in the village of Ajijic. Though usually Wood Storks are uncommon here, we have seen 50 at Rosa Amarilla and 100 at Cajititlan marsh.
In our garden in Ajijic we have three baby birds in a group just a few days out of the nest - one yellow-colored Oriole with two gray-colored Bronzed Cowbirds - all being assiduously fed by one or two adult Black-vented Oriole parents. This is evidence of brood parasitism.
The six Monk Parakeets (escapees) in Ajijic may be observed building a communal nest in a palm tree behind the Old Posada. The six Red-lored Amazons (Parrots) which used to nest at Six Corners in Ajijic were last seen in San Antonio in February, but we have not received any reports of where they are nesting.
The 97 species seen in the lake area last month are listed at the end of the newsletter.
|
| |
|
Wood Stork
|
| 
Wood Stork as sighted recently at the Cajititlan Marsh.
|
| |
|
Upcoming Bird Walks
|
|
Our birdwalks are open to all those interested in birds, both beginners and experienced birders. Just bring binoculars and show up. We always have knowledgeable birders on hand to identify the species.
On Friday July 11, we will meet at Donas Donuts at 8.00 a.m. leaving immediately for the Sierra de Tapalpa (one hour away). We will bird until 1.00 p.m. when we will go for lunch in the village of Tapalpa. Bring morning refreshments. We expect to see higher altitude birds such as Acorn Woodpecker, Striped Sparrow, Transvolcanic Jay and American Robin. We will get back about 5.00 p.m. If you plan to join us please email chapalabirders@yahoo.com and also indicate if you can bring a car.
On Tuesday July 22, we will meet at Donas Donuts at 8.00 a.m. leaving immediately for the Rio Verde (ninety minutes away). We will access the canyon at the site with an entrance fee (75 pesos each last time) and hot water issuing from the rocks into pools. Bring bathing suits, towels, refreshments and sandwiches. Expect to see lower altitude birds such as Gila Woodpecker, Squirrel Cuckoo, Mexican Parrotlet and Black Phoebe. We will get back about 5.00 p.m. If you plan to come please email chapalabirders@yahoo.com and indicate if you can bring a car.
|
| |
|
Bird Walk and Trip Reports
|
|
On June 12, we had a dozen keen birders out at the Cajititlan marsh where we saw about 100 Wood Storks, many of them in one tall dead tree, several Fulvous Whistling Ducks and heard a Northern Bobwhite calling. At the dock we saw Common Yellowthroat and the uncommon Least Bittern for a total of 35 species.
On June 27, we again had a dozen birders out at El Bajio. Sightings included Eurasian Collared Dove, Killdeer, Stripe-headed Sparrow and Bewick's, Canyon and Spotted Wrens, out of a total of 31 species.
|
| |
|
The June List
|
|
Here are the 97 species observed in June around Lake Chapala:
Ani, groove-billed
Avocet, American (Cs)
Bittern, least (Ca)
Blackbird, red-winged (Cs)
Bluebird, eastern (Ra)
Bobwhite, northern (Ca)
Bushtit
Caracara, crested
Chat, yellow-breasted
Coot, American
Cormorant, neotropic
Cowbird, bronzed
Cowbird, brown-headed
Cuckoo, squirrel
Dove, common ground (Cs)
Dove, Eurasian collared
Dove, Inca
Dove, mourning
Dove, white-winged
Duck, fulvous-whistling (Ca)
Duck, Mexican
Duck, ruddy
Egret, cattle
Egret, great
Egret snowy
Finch, house
Flycatcher, dusky-capped
Flycatcher, gray silky
Flycatcher, social
Flycatcher, vermillion
Gallinule, common
Goldfinch, lesser
Grackle, great-tailed
Grebe, least (Ca)
Grebe, western (Ca)
Grosbeak, blue
Gull, laughing
Hawk, red-tailed
Hawk, white-tailed
Heron, black-crowned night
Heron, great blue
Heron, green
Heron, tricolored
Hummingbird, broad-billed
Hummingbird, magnificent
Hummingbird, sparkling-tailed (Av)
Hummingbird, violet-crowned
Ibis, white-faced
Jacana, northern
Killdeer
Kingbird, Cassin's
Kingbird, thick-billed (Sn)
Kingbird, tropical (Sn)
Kiskadee, great
Meadowlark, eastern
Mockingbird, blue
Mockingbird, northern
Motmot, russet-crowned
Oriole, black-backed
Oriole, black-vented
Oriole, streak-backed
Owl, barn (Ca)
Owl, great-horned (Av, Ra)
Pelican, American white
Pewee, western wood
Pigeon, rock
Raven, common
Roadrunner, greater (Ca)
Robin, rufous-backed
Seedeater, white-collared
Shoveler, northern
Shrike, loggerhead
Sparrow, Botteri's
Sparrow, house
Sparrow, rusty-crowned ground
Sparrow, savannah
Sparrow, stripe-headed
Stilt, black-necked (Cs, Ca)
Stork, wood (Ca)
Swallow, barn
Swallow, cliff
Swallow, northern rough-winged
Tern Caspian
Thrasher, curve-billed
Thrush, orange-billed nightingale
Towhee, canyon
Vireo, golden
Vulture, black
Vulture, turkey
Warbler, rufous-capped (At)
Woodpecker, golden-fronted
Woodpecker, ladder-backed
Wren Bewick's
Wren, canyon
Wren, spotted
Yellowthroat, common (Ca)
Yellowthroat, gray-crowned (Ch)
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 area
Pz - San Pedro Itzican area
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/South Shore area
Xt - Ixtlahuacan/Las Campanillas
|
| |
|
|
