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 at the lake, email us at:
ChapalaBirders@yahoo.com
or phone 376-766-1801
Website:
ChapalaBirders.org
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Christmas Bird Count - December 16
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December is the month of our annual Ajijic Area Christmas Bird Count. This is one of the birding highlights of the year. You can take part in an international census of bird species that has been conducted for 114 years. We plan five teams of about five people, each with a leader and an assigned area. There is no cost to take part in the count on the morning of December 16, but there is of course a charge for the evening dinner celebration at 6.00 p.m. where we share details of each team's adventures. Feel free to invite friends along if they have an interest in birds. We ask all participants to register ahead both for the count and for the dinner.
Bird Count Registration:
Registration will take place on Monday between 10.00 a.m and 2 p.m at John Keeling's home, Condominium Villas del Tepalo, Callejon al Tepalo #140, Villa #46. This is three blocks up-hill from Donas Donuts, on the east side of the school. For detailed driving instructions, or if this time does not work for you, phone John at 766-1801, or email chapalabirders@yahoo.com. We can arrange an alternate time for you.
The other Bird Count
We expect our keener birders to come with us also on Friday December 18 for the Christmas Bird Count at the far end of the lake (known as the "Cienega" count) which is a whole day trip because of the distance. We expect to pick up a number of species not seen on the Ajijic count.
144 Species Seen in November
The list of species seen in November is shown at the end of this newsletter.
This fall we have noticed an unusually high number of house wrens throughout the greater Lake Chapala area. Some years we don't see any. (See the photo and notes below).
Other birds that have been more commonly observed this fall than usual, are the Northern Mockingbird, mentioned in the last newsletter, and the Osprey. which we have seen on many of the small dams and lakes around Lake Chapala. Unusual sightings included three species sighted by Don Bell in west Ajijijc, the Baltimore Oriole (very rare here), the Blue-throated Hummingbird, and the Black-chinned Hummingbird.
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House Wren
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House Wren as seen at Santa Cruz de la Soledad in November. This species is the most widely dispersed of any bird species in the Americas, occurring from Canada to Argentina. They nest up north between May and September, and come down to the southern U.S. and Mexico for the winter. The nest is constructed of twigs and softer lining materials always inside a protected cavity such as a woodpecker hole.
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Upcoming Trips and Bird Walks
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Our bird walks 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. If you are being given a ride, please make a contribution to gas and tolls (perhaps 50-100 pesos for a half day outing, 100-200 for a day trip).
On Wednesday December 11 we will meet at 8.00 a.m. at Donas Donuts to carpool, leaving immediately for Lake Atonilco at Villa Corona, a one-hour drive. Throughout this year we have seen Roseate Spoonbills there, as well as various lake and marsh birds such as Common Yellowthroat. Take your own refreshments (there is no good place to have breakfast). We will be back in Ajijic about 12.30. If you plan to go please email chapalabirders@yahoo.com indicating whether you can bring a vehicle, to help us balance the car pool.
On Monday December 28 we will meet at 8.00 a.m. at the entrance to La Cristianía Park in Chapala. We should see an interesting selection of species in the tall trees and at the bushy edge of the lake. At about 10.30 we will go to Las Delicias for breakfast and complete the bird list.
How to Get There: From Ajijic go the traffic light at the main street of Chapala (Av. Madero), cross straight over and keep going straight for five blocks, turn left at the T intersection and park on the right.
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Bird Walk & Trip Reports
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On November 9 we had 15 birders out at the San Antonio Tlayacapan malecon, which we surveyed for an hour before going on to the point in Riberas del Pilar. We saw Tri-colored Heron, Common Yellowthroat and Marsh Wren in the reeds, as well as American White Pelican, Cassin's, Thick-billed and Tropical Kingbirds, and Black-vented, Hooded and Streak-backed Orioles, for a total species count of 52.
On November 18, four people ventured out to the Rosa Amarilla loop on the south side of the lake, where we sighted Brown-headed Cowbird, White-tailed Kite, Cooper's Hawk, Osprey, Wood Stork, and Blue and Northern Mockingbirds. The count was 60 species.
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November Sightings List
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Here are the 144 species observed in November around Lake Chapala:
Ani, groove-billed
Avocet, American (Dp)
Bittern, American (Ca)
Bittern, least (Ca)
Blackbird, red-winged
Blackbird, yellow-headed
Bobwhite, northern (Ps)
Bunting, Indigo
Bunting, varied
Bushtit
Caracara, crested
Chat, yellow-breasted
Coot, American
Cormorant, neotropic
Cowbird, bronzed
Cowbird, brown-headed
Cuckoo, squirrel
Dove, Eurasian collared
Dove, Inca
Dove, mourning
Dove, white-tipped
Dove, white-winged
Dowitcher, long-billed (Dp)
Duck, black-bellied whistling
Duck, Mexican
Duck, ruddy (Ca,Ps,Ra)
Egret, cattle
Egret, great
Egret, snowy
Falcon, peregrine (Ca)
Finch, house
Flycatcher, ash-throated
Flycatcher, buff-breasted
Flycatcher, cordilleran
Flycatcher, dusky-capped
Flycatcher, gray silky
Flycatcher, least
Flycatcher, social
Flycatcher, vermillion
Gallinule, common
Gnatcatcher, blue-gray
Goldfinch, lesser
Grackle, great-tailed
Grebe, least (Ca,Dm)
Grebe, pied-billed (Ca,Ra)
Grosbeak, black-headed
Grosbeak, blue
Gull, laughing
Gull, ring-billed
Hawk, Cooper's
Hawk, gray (Ca)
Hawk, red-tailed
Heron, black-crowned night
Heron, great blue
Heron little blue
Heron, tri-colored
Hummingbird, black-chinned (Ac)
Hummingbird, blue-throated (Ac)
Hummingbird, broad-billed
Hummingbird, rufous
Hummingbird, violet-crowned
Hummingbird, white-eared
Ibis, white-faced
Jacana, northern
Kestrel, American
Killdeer
Kingbird, Cassin's
Kingbird, thick-billed
Kingbird, tropical
Kingbird, western (At)
Kingfisher, belted (Xt,Dm)
Kiskadee, great
Kite, white-tailed (Ca,Dp)
Mockingbird, blue
Mockingbird, northern
Motmot, russet-crowned
Oriole, Baltimore (Ac)
Oriole, black-backed
Oriole, black-vented
Oriole, bullock's
Oriole, hooded
Oriole, streak-backed
Osprey (Ra,Ps)
Owl, great horned
Parakeet, monk (Av,Ch,Sn)
Pelican, American white
Pelican, brown (Ca)
Pewee, greater
Pewee, western wood
Phoebe, black (Ch,Ps)
Phoebe, eastern (Ps)
Pigeon, rock
Pintail, northern (Ca)
Raven, common
Robin, rufous-backed
Sandpiper, spotted (Ra,Dm)
Seedeater, white-collared
Shrike, loggerhead
Sora
Sparrow, chipping
Sparrow, house
Sparrow, lark
Sparrow, Lincoln's
Sparrow, rusty-crowned ground
Sparrow, stripe-headed
Stilt, black-necked (Dm,Ca)
Stork, wood (Ra)
Swallow, barn
Swallow, cliff (Ra)
Swallow, northern rough-winged
Swallow, tree
Swallow, violet-green
Tanager, western
Teal, blue-winged (Ra,Ca)
Teal, cinnamon (Ra,Ca)
Teal, green-winged (Ra)
Tern, black
Tern, Caspian
Thrasher, curve-billed
Towhee, Canyon
Vireo, Bell's (Ps)
Vireo, Cassin's
Vireo, plumbeous
Vireo, warbling
Vulture, black
Vulture, turkey
Warbler, black and white
Warbler, black-throated, gray
Warbler, Lucy's (Ac)
Warbler, MacGillivray's (Ca)
Warbler, Nashville
Warbler, rufous-capped
Warbler, Wilson's
Warbler, yellow (Ps)
Warbler, yellow-rumped
Woodpecker, golden-fronted
Woodpecker, ladder-backed
Wren, Bewick's
Wren, canyon
Wren, house
Wren, marsh (Sa,Ca)
Wren, spotted
Yellowlegs, greater (Ca)
Yellowthroat, common(Sa,Ca)
Location codes:
Ac - Ajijic: La Cristina/El Bajio
At - Trails above Ajijic
Av - Ajijic village
Ca - Lake Cajititlan
Ch - Chapala
Cu - Cuitzeo/Ocotlan
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
Ps - Pumping Station/Santa Cruz
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
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