Thursday, May 2, 2019

Newsletter



Chapala Birders Newsletter May 2, 2019
    143 Species sighted last month around the Lake
The Complete list of species seen around Lake Chapala last month is shown at the end of this newsletter.

-  The American White Pelicans left for their northern breeding grounds in the middle of April. The first year males have stayed behind.
-  Wilson's Phalaropes were seen in considerable numbers on Lake Cajititlan. They are making their way north on migration.
-  The hills above Ajijic are now full of the calls of Greenish Elaenia, Lesser Beardless Tyrannulets (residents) and the just-arrived Wetern Wood Pewees.

Among the interesting sightings last month were:

-  Lesser Roadrunners on the International School Road.
-  Northern Bobwhites at Cajititlan marsh.
-  Least Bittern at the San Antonio malecon.
-  Purple Gallinule at the Dike.
Rufous-crowned Motmot
Rufous-crowned Motmot. Photo by our friend Vince at BirdsofMexico.com.

The Rufous-Crowned Motmot
- Occurs from nothern Mexico to southern Guatemala. There are many other motmot species in Central and South America - all part of the same family as Kingfishers and European Bee-eaters.
- They have a characteristic "krrok" call which can be heard at this time of the in the hills above Ajijic. 
- They are known for sitting still on a branch for long periods of time, sometimes wagging the tail slowly from side to side when something catches their attenion.
- They eat large insects and small vertebrates including lizards and snakes.
- Both parents excavate a meter-long horizontal tunnel in an earth bank. The tunnel may be straight or have a bend, ending in a larger cavity, where four eggs are laid on the ground. Incubation is 20 days and it is another month before the chicks fly.They tend to return to the same nesting area every year.
- Here at lakeside they nest in the four-inch plastic drainage pipes employed in walls and gardens, particularly in the Chula Vista and Vista del Lago fraccionamientos.
Global Big Day
Once again eBird is promoting "Global Big Day" on Saturday May 4. Everyone around the world is encouraged to go birding on that day and report their sightings on eBird. Very keen birders will get up early to count owls, spend the day going from hotspot to hotspot, and look for nightjars in the evening. A year ago almost 70 percent of the world's species were sighted on that one day. Please consider being part of the fun.
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. We will try to limit day trips to four vehicles, as larger convoys are less manageable. If you are being given a ride, please make a contribution to gas and tolls (perhaps 50-100 pesos for a half day outing, 150-200 for a day trip).
 
On Monday May 6, we will meet at the Old Train Station in Chapala at 8.30 am leaving immediately to bird the Chapala Lakeshore Road East to the the pumping station and San Nicolas. Expect to see a good variety of shore birds in a variety of habitats. At 10.00 we will head to the Palapa de Don Juan for breakfast and complete the bird list. If you need a ride to Chapala please email John at chapalabirders@yahoo.com at least 48 hours ahead of time. The train station is on the Lakeshore road just east of Cristiania Park.

On Friday May 17, we will meet at 8.00 am at Donas Donuts to car pool, leaving immediately for the Rosa Amarilla Loop on the plateau above the south side of the lake (60 minutes drive). Expect to see Wood Storks, Osprey and possibly a White-tailed Hawk. Bring refreshments for the morning and sandwiches for the 12.30 lunch stop. We will be back about 3.00 pm. If you plan on going, please email John at chapalabirders@yahoo.com at least 48 hours ahead of time saying whether you can bring a vehicle, to help in carpool planning. (We don't always have enough cars).
Bird Walk and Trip Reports
The April 5 trip to Rio Verde was cancelled due to car problems.

On April 15 we birded the 'La Cristina' area, as well as the 'Las Palmas' area, with eight people. We saw 52 species including Blue Mockingbird, Black-headed Grosbeak, Least Flycatcher, Painted Bunting, Rusty-crowned Ground Sparrow and Spotted Wren.

On Arpril 29 we had nineteen keen birders out for the trip to the Cajititlan marsh. There had just been a significant brush fire (still smoking!) but this allowed us to see very clearly a group of Northern Bobwhite and several bright yellow male Common Yelowthroat. Also sighted were Eastern Meadowlark, White-throated Flycatcher, both Black-bellied and Fulvous Whistling Ducks, American Pipit and more than a hundred Wilson's Phalarope stopping briefly on their northern migration.
Monthly Sightings List
Here are the 143 species sighted around Lake Chapala in April:

Ani, groove-billed
Avocet, American (Ds,Ca)
Becard, Rose-throated Sa)
Bittern, least (Sa)
Blackbird, yellow-headed
Bobwhite, northern (Ca)
Bunting, indigo
Bunting, painted
Bunting, varied
Bushtit
Caracara, crested
Coot, American
Cormorant, neotropic
Cowbird, bronzed
Cowbird, brown-headed
Cuckoo, squirrel
Dove, common ground
Dove, Eurasian collared
Dove, Inca
Dove, mourning
Dove, white-tipped
Dove, white-winged
Dowitcher, long-billed (Ds,Ca)
Duck, black-bellied whistling (Ds,Ca)
Duck, fulvous whistling (Dn,Ds,Ca)
Duck, Mexican
Egret, cattle
Egret, great
Egret, snowy
Elaenia, greenish (At,Sa,Pz)
Euphonia, elegant (Av,Sa)
Finch, house
Flycatcher, ash-throated
Flycatcher, cordilleran
Flycatcher, dusky-capped
Flycatcher, gray
Flycatcher, gray silky
Flycatcher, least
Flycatcher, Nutting's
Flycatcher, social
Flycatcher, vermilion
Flycatcher, white-throated (Ca)
Gallinule, common
Gallinule, purple (Ds)
Goldfinch, lesser
Grackle, great-tailed
Grebe, least
Grebe, pied-billed
Grosbeak, black-headed
Grosbeak, blue
Grosbeak, yellow (Pz)
Gull, laughing
Gull, ring-billed
Hawk, red-tailed
Heron, black-crowned night
Heron, great blue (Ds,Ca)
Heron, green (Ds,Ra)
Heron, little blue (Ds)
Heron, tri-colored (Av)
Hummingbird, broad-billed
Hummingbird, violet-crowned
Ibis, white-faced
Jacana, northern
Killdeer
Kingbird, Cassin's
Kingbird, thick-billed
Kingbird, tropical
Kiskadee, great
kite, white-tailed (Ca)
Meadowlark, eastern (Ra)
Mockingbird, blue
Mockingbird, northern
Motmot, russet-crowned (Av)
Nightjar, buff-collared
Oriole, black-vented
Oriole, Bullock's
Oriole, Orchard
Oriole, streak-backed
Owl, great-horned
Parakeet, monk
Parula, tropical (Sa)
Pelican, American white
Pewee, greater
Pewee, western wood
Phalarope, Wilson's (Ds,Ca)
Phoebe, black (Dn)
Pigeon, rock
Pipit, American (Ca)
Raven, common
Redstart, American (Ac,Dn)
Roadrunner, lesser (Ch)
Robin, rufous-backed
Sandpiper, spotted
Seedeater, cinnamon-rumped
Shoveler, northern (Ra,Ca)
Shrike, loggerhead
Sora (Dn)
Sparrow, chipping
Sparrow, house
Sparrow, lark
Sparrow, Lincoln's (Ra)
Sparrow, rusty-crowned ground
Sparrow, savannah (Ra)
Sparrow, stripe-headed
Stilt, black-necked
Stork, wood (Ra)
Swallow, barn
Swallow, cliff (Ra)
Swallow, northern rough-winged
Tanager, hepatic (Sa)
Tanager, western
Teal, blue-winged
Tern, Caspian
Tern, Forster's (Ds)
Thrasher, curve-billed
Thrush, orange-billed nightingale
Towhee, canyon
Tyrannulet, northern beardless (Av)
Vireo, golden (At)
Vireo, warbling
Vulture, black
Vulture, turkey
Warbler, black and white
Warbler, Colima (Sa)
Warbler, MacGillivray's
Warbler, Nashville
Warbler, orange-crowned
Warbler, rufous-capped
Warbler, Virginia's
Warbler, Wilson's
Warbler, yellow (Dn,Sa)
Warbler, yellow-rumped
Wigeon, American
Woodpecker, golden-fronted
Woodpecker, ladder-backed
Wren, Bewick's
Wren, canyon
Wren, happy
Wren, marsh (Sa)
Wren, Sinaloa (Pz)
Wren, spotted
Yellowlegs, lesser (Ds)
Yellowthroat, common (Dn,Ds,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
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.

A laminated folder "Quick Guide to the Birds of Lake Chapala" illustrating 150 local species can be purchased for $150 pesos at Diane Pearl Collecciones, Colon #1, in the center of Ajijic.