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Chapala Birders Newsletter June 2, 2019
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| 116 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.
High points last month:
- The Sparkling-tailed Hummingbirds were reported in the Racket Club (they breed here in May and June only.)
- Blue-throated Hummingbirds were reported in Tlachichilco.
- Two Limpkins at the Dike (see report below.)
Another New Species for Lake Chapala - Limpkin
Last month, during their monthly visit to the Dike at the East end of the lake, John and Rosemary observed two Limpkins near the village of La Palma. They were feeding in shallow water on flooded corn fields. This species has never been reported at Lake Chapala before. They are larger than Ibises, generally brown, with characteristic white spots.
The range of this species is slowly expanding northwards. In his 1995 reference book, Steve Howell shows the traditional range in Mexico as being the coastal regions of Southern Mexico. Since then the bird has been increasingly reported along the coasts of Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit. In 2006, a University of Guadalajara paper reported sightings in the interior of Jalisco in the area of Autlan. This year Limpkins have been sighted at Presa la Vega just 50 kilometers west of Lake Chapala. They inhabit shallow, fresh water areas. They prefer to eat snails, but will also eat frogs, small crustacians and seeds.
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Stilt Sandpiper in winter plumage as seen at Lake Chapala in April on migration.
The Stilt Sandpiper - is a long-distance migrant, breeding in the high Arctic and wintering mainly in South America, also in central Mexico and Central America. It is generally seen in shallow, muddy, fresh water pools and marshes.
- Eggs are laid on the tundra at the time of the Arctic spring in early June. The female sits the eggs at night, and the male during the day. After three weeks the eggs hatch. The chicks leave the nest almost immediately, finding all their own food. The female leaves after a week, and the male after two weeks as the chicks are starting to fly. The adults fly south in August making a mad dash for South America, and the juveniles leave in September taking their time on the route.
- While the breeding plumage is much darker, heavily marked with black and brown spots, the winter plumage is quite plain.
- In winter the Stilt Sandpiper is easily mistaken for the Long-billed Dowitcher when feeding, and is easly confused with the Lesser Yellowlegs when walking. Look for the curvature of the bill, and the white supercilium.
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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. 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 June 12, we will meet at 8.00 am to walk the one-mile long Allen Lloyd Trail which has lots of underbrush in which birds love to hide. Expect to see Stripe-headed Sparrow and Groove-billed Ani and hear the Happy Wren and Orange-billed Nightingale Thrush. At about 10.15 we will head to Cafe Negro restaurant for breakfast and complete the bird list.
How to get to the trail head: Drive up the Libramiento a half mile from the traffic light at Walmart, and park on the north side of the road across from the El Dorado Condominium tower.
On Friday June 21, we will meet at 8.00 am at Donas Donuts to car pool, leaving immediately for the Sierra de Tapalpa (90 minutes away). We will bird from 9.30 till 12.30 and have lunch in the town of Tapalpa and complete the bird list. We expect to see higher altitude birds such as Acorn Woodpecker and Slate-throated Redstart and if we are lucky Trans-volcanic Jay. Bring your own refreshments for the morning. We will be back about 5.00 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.
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Bird Walk and Trip Reports
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On May 6 we had a small group to bird the lakshore road from the Old Train Station to the Pumping Station. We saw uncommon birds such as Marbled Godwit and Semipalmated Plover, as well as American Avocet, Mourning Dove, Black-backed Oriole and Tri-colored Heron out of a total of 53 species.
On May 17 we travelled to the Rosa Amarilla Loop on the plateau above the south shore. We saw an impressive 64 species including Western Wood Pewee, Say's Phoebe, four Wren species - Spotted, Happy, Bewick's and Canyon, as well as Eastern Bluebird, and Botteri's Sparrow which comes to the grass fields of this area every summer.
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Here are the 116 species sighted around Lake Chapala in May:
Ani, groove-billed
Avocet, American (Ps)
Becard, rose-throated
Blackbird, red-winged (Ra,Dp)
Bluebird, eastern (Ra)
Bunting, varied (Pt)
Bushtit
Caracara, crested
Coot, American
Cormorant, neotropic
Cowbird, bronzed
Cowbird, brown-headed
Cuckoo, squirrel
Dove, common ground (Ca,Ra)
Dove, Eurasian collared
Dove, Inca
Dove, mourning (Ps)
Dove, white-winged
Dowitcher, long-billed (Ps)
Duck, black-bellied whistling (Ca)
Duck, fulvous whistling (Ps,Ca)
Duck, Mexican
Duck, ruddy (Ca,Ra)
Egret, cattle
Egret, great
Egret, snowy
Elaenia, greenish
Euphonia, elegant (Sa,Av)
Finch, house
Flycatcher, dusky-capped
Flycatcher, gray (Sa)
Flycatcher, social
Flycatcher, vermillion
Gallinule, common
Godwit, marbled (Ps)
Goldfinch, lesser
Grackle, great-tailed
Grebe, least
Grebe, pied-billed
Grosbeak, black-headed
Grosbeak, blue
Gull, laughing
Gull, ring-billed
Hawk, red-tailed
Hawk, sharp-shinned
Hawk, white-tailed (Ra)
Heron, black-crowned night
Heron, great blue
Heron, green (Dm)
Heron, little blue (Dm)
Heron, tri-colored (Ps)
Hummingbird, beryline
Hummingbird, blue-throated (Pt)
Hummingbird, broad-billed
Hummingbird, sparkling-tailed (Sc)
Hummingbird, violet-crowned
Hummingbird, white-eared (Av)
Ibis, white-faced
Jacana, northern
Killdeer
Kingbird, Cassin's
Kingbird, tropical
Kiskadee, great
Kite, white-tailed
Limpkin (Dp)
Meadowlark, eastern (Ra)
Mockingbird, blue
Mockingbird, northern (Ca)
Motmot, russet-crowned (Sa)
Oriole, black-backed
Oriole, streak-backed
Parakeet, monk
Pelican, American white
Pewee, western wood
Phoebe, Say's (Ra)
Pigeon, rock
Plover, semipalmated
Raven, common
Robin, rufous-backed
Sandpiper, stilt (Ps)
Seedeater, cinnamon-rumped
Shrike, loggerhead
Solitaire, brown-backed
Sparrow, Botteri's (Ra)
Sparrow, house
Sparrow, rusty-crowned ground
Sparrow, Savannah
Sparrow, stripe-headed
Spoonbill, roseate (Dp)
Stilt, black-necked
Stork, wood (Ra,Dp)
Swallow, barn
Swallow, cliff (Ra,Dm)
Swallow, northern rough-winged
Tanager, western
Teal, blue-winged
Teal, cinnamon (Dp)
Tern, Caspian
Tern, Forster's (Dp)
Thrasher, curve-billed
Thrush, orange-billed nightingale
Towhee, canyon
Tyrannulet, northern beardless
Vireo, golden
Vireo, warbling
Vulture, black
Vulture, turkey
Widgeon, American (Dp)
Woodpecker, golden-fronted
Woodpecker, ladder-backed
Wren, Bewick's
Wren, canyon
Wren, happy (Ra,Sa)
Wren, Sinaloa (Sa)
Wren, spotted
Yellowlegs, lesser (Ps)
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
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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.
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