Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Newsletter



Chapala Birders Newsletter July 2, 2018
100 Species Sighted Last Month
June is the beginning of the season of "confusing immatures". Many young birds are difficult to identify when they have been out of the nest for only a few weeks.
In the last two weeks we have been receiving a number of email photos of Sparkling-tailed Hummingbirds taken at local feeders. (See photo and details below.)
Visiting birder Jules Evens from the U.S. has been focussing on San Antonio Tlayacapan for the month of June. He has seen: Roseate Spoonbill, Aztec Rail, Least Bittern and Purple Gallinule.
Wood Storks continue to found on the Rosa Amarilla Loop, and as usual, several hundred one-year-old American White Pelicans have stayed behind to enjoy the summer on Lake Chapala instead of helping out with their families breeding up north.
Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird
Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird (male) photo by Jalisco birder Julio Alvarez.  

Species details:


-  The Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird is a small hummingbird weighing only 3 grams.
-  Both male and female may be identified by a sizable white side-rump patch. The male has a long forked tail, which is often raised when feeding. The female looks very different from the male, having cinnamon underparts and hardly any tail.
-  The species range extends from northern Mexico down to northern Nicaragua. It is non-migratory, only moving locally according to season.
They come to Ajijic for two months in May and June to breed.
Upcoming Trips and Bird Walks
Our bird walks are open to all those interested in birds, both beginners and experienced birders. Just bring binoculars. 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 Friday, July 13 we will meet at 8.00 am at Donas Donuts. leaving immediately for Agua Escondida and the Two Dams (20 minutes drive). We may see Fulvous Whistling Duck, Northern Jacana, and a variety of other water birds, woodpeckers and orioles. At about 10.15 we will go to Las Delicias for breakfast and complete the bird list. If you plan on going, please email John at chapalabirders@yahoo.com ahead of time saying whether you can bring a vehicle, to help in carpool planning. (We don't always have enough cars).

On Thursday, July 26 we will meet at 8.00 am at Donas Donuts to car pool, proceeding immediately to the Cajititlan Marsh (30 minute drive)). We expect to see a variety of marsh and lake birds, and perhaps a Sinaloa Wren. At about 10.15 we will go Las Delicias restaurant in Chapala for breakfast and complete the bird list. If you plan on going, email John: Chapalabirders@yahoo.com ahead of time indicating whether or not you will have a car. (We don't always have enough cars).
Bird Walk & Trip Reports
On June 11 there were four keen birders on the trip to the Sierra de Tapalpa. Despite overcast skys and rain at one point we saw fourty eight species including Eastern Bluebird, Pygmy Nuthatch, White-eared Hummingbird, Gray Silky Flycatcher, Tufted Flycatcher, Pine Siskin and Striped Sparrow.

On June 22 we had seven people out at Cristiania Park in Chapala. We identified Northern Jacana, Aztec Rail, Rufous-backed Robin, the endemic Black-backed Oriole, and hundreds of Black-crowned Night Herons which have established a large rookery where they are now breeding in the park.
Monthly Sightings List
Here are the 100 species sighted around Lake Chapala in June:

Ani, groove-billed
Avocet, American (Ca)
Bittern, least (Sa)
Blackbird, red-winged (Ra)
Bluebird, eastern (Ra)
Bobwhite, northern (Sn)
Bunting, varied (At)
Bushtit
Caracara, crested
Coot, American
Cormorant, neotropic
Cowbird, bronzed
Cuckoo, squirrel
Dove, Eurasian collared
Dove, Inca
Dove, mourning Ra)
Dove, white-winged
Duck, Fulvous whistling
Duck, Mexican
Duck, ruddy
Egret, cattle
Egret, great
Egret, snowy
Elaenia, greenish (At)
Finch, house
Flycatcher, dusky-capped (At,Sa)
Flycatcher, gray silky
Flycatcher, social
Flycatcher, vermilion
Gallinule, common
Gallinule, purple (Sa)
Goldfinch, lesser
Grackle, great-tailed
Grebe, least (Ra)
Grebe, pied-billed (Ra,Av)
Grosbeak, blue
Gull, ring-billed
Hawk, Cooper's (Ra)
Hawk, red-tailed (Ra,At)
Heron, black-crowned night
Heron, great blue (Ca,Ra)
Heron, green
Heron, little blue (Av)
Heron, tri-colored
Hummingbird, berylline
Hummingbird, broad-billed
Hummingbird, sparkling-tailed (Av,Tu)
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
Oriole, black-backed
Oriole, black-vented
Oriole, streak-backed
Parakeet, monk
Pelican, American white (Ch,Sn)
Pewee, western wood
Pigeon, rock
Raven, common
Robin, rufous-backed
Seedeater, white-collared
Shrike, loggerhead
Sparrow, Botteri's (Ra)
Sparrow, chipping
Sparrow, house
sparrow, rusty-crowned ground
Sparrow, stripe-headed
Spoonbill, roseate (Sa)
Stilt, black-necked
Stork, wood
Swallow, barn
Swallow, cliff
Swallow, northern rough-winged
Tern, Caspian
Thrasher, curve-billed
Thrush, orange-billed nightingale
Towhee, canyon
Tyrannulet, northern beardless
Vireo, golden (At)
Vulture, black
Vulture, turkey
Warbler, rufous-capped (At)
Woodpecker, golden-fronted
Woodpecker, ladder-backed
Wren, Bewick's
Wren, canyon
Wren, happy (Sa)
Wren, Sinaloa (Ca,At)
Wren, spotted
Yellowthroat, common

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
La - La Cañada-Hidden Valley
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/Allen Lloyd Trail
Sc - San Juan Cosala
Sn - San Nicholas/Golf Club
Tz - Tizapan canyon
Te - San Juan Tecomatlan/Mezcala
Tr - Las Trojes/oak forest
Tu - Tuxcueca/San Luis Soyatlan
Xt - Ixtlahuacan/Las Campanillas
John&Rosemary
Lake Chapala Birders is an informal group of bird observers led by John and Rosemary Keeling. Don't hesitate to contact us if you are seeking information about birding in the area. We also like to hear about sightings of birds or nests at: chapalabirders@yahoo.com or 376.766.1801. Check out the website: chapalabirders.org