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Chapala Birders Newsletter December 2, 2019
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| Don't miss the Christmas Bird Count this month |
The Ajijic area Christmas Bird Count (CBC) will be held on Monday December 16.
All are welcome to participate in this annual event. It is one of the birding highlights of the year - a fun day of intensive birding with your team. We plan several teams of about five people, each with a leader and an assigned area within a 15-mile diameter territory. Most teams start at about 8.00 am and are usually through by lunch time. There is no cost to take part in the count, but you need to preregister so we can plan the teams and tell you where to meet your team on the day.
There will be an evening pot-luck dinner celebration at 6.00 pm at John's house where we share details of each team's adventures and sightings. John will provide drinks and Rosemary will make shepherd's pie. Feel free to invite friends along to both morning and evening events if they have an interest in birds.
Bird Count Registration:
Registration will take place on Saturday December 14, between 10.00 am and 1 pm 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 376.766.1801, or email chapalabirders@yahoo.com. We can arrange an alternate registration time for you if needed.
The 'Cienega' Christmas Bird Count:
The second Christmas Bird Count is on Wednesday December 18. This is the "La Cienega" (marsh) CBC at the east end of the lake some 80 km (50 miles) away. This is generally attended by our keener birders, but all are welcome to take part. We set up two teams assigned to different parts of the dyke across the lake. The teams leave Ajijic about 8.00 am and meet for a sandwich lunch at about 1.00 pm on the shore of the Lerma River. You can sign up for this count at the same time as signing up for the Ajijic CBC.
Other Christmas Bird Counts:
Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) are bird censuses conducted at more than 2,000 locations in the western hemisphere. Other local counts are:
- Guadalajara CBC Sunday December 15.
- Primavera Forest CBC Saturday December 14.
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| 143 Species sighted last month around the Lake |
The complete list of species for last month is shown at the end of this newsletter.
Interesting sightings last month:
- John Roynon has once again observed a migratory Northern Waterthrush at the San Antonio Tlayacapan malecon.
- Don Bell saw Common Black Hawk and Black-chinned Hummingbird on the west side of Ajijic.
- Laura Dangerfield saw Elegant Euphonia in San Antonio.
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| Featured Bird: Stripe-headed Sparrow |
A Stripe-headed Sparrow as seen at Lake Chapala.
The Stripe-headed Sparrow is common in dry, scrubby lots and fields along our lakeshore.
- It is found as a year-round resident from central Mexico as far south as Costa Rica. The southern subspecies have grayer breasts.
- Typically found in small groups, it is known for its loud, chattering call in thorn bushes.
- It forages on the ground and at lower levels of bushes for seeds, insects, spiders and fruit. As with many smaller bird species, the young are fed insects.
- It is the only new-world sparrow that engages in 'cooperative breeding'.
A Note on 'Cooperative Breeding':
* Cooperative breeding means that at breeding time birds form groups of 3 to 10 individuals who share in the tasks of building one or more nests, incubating the eggs and feeding the young.
* Species where this has been observed include Woodpeckers, Jays, Wrens, Anis and Pelicans.
* Nine percent of the world's 10,000 bird species sometimes engage in cooperative breeding.
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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. Please note that we will try to limit car trips to four vehicles because larger convoys are less manageable when trying to stop on country roads to look at the birds. If you are being given a ride, we suggest you make a contribution to your driver for gas and tolls (perhaps 50-100 pesos for a half day outing, 150-200 for a day trip).
On Tuesday December 10, we will meet to carpool at 8.30 am at the Old Train Station in Chapala, leaving immediately to bird the "Chapala Lakeshore East" including the pumping station. 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 plan on joining us, please tell us if you will bring a vehicle, if you need a ride at the Train Station, or a ride to get to the Train Station; 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 in Chapala.
On Friday December 27, we will carpool at Donas Donuts at 8.00 am, leaving immediately for Villa Corona (60 minutes drive). We expect to see various shore birds such as White-faced Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill and possibly Snow Goose. Bring your own mid-morning refreshments. There will be a break for snacking at 11.00 am. We will be back in Ajijic by about 1.30 pm. If you plan on going, please email John at chapalabirders@yahoo.com at least 48 hours ahead of time saying whether or not you will bring a vehicle, to help in carpool planning. (We are often short of cars).
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Bird Walk and Trip Reports
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On November 8, we travelled to the Lake Cajititlan Marsh with a group of 11 birders. We observed 65 species, an excellent number, including White-tailed Kite, Spotted Sandpiper, Forster's Tern, Marsh Wren, Crested Caracara, both Fulvous and Black-bellied Whistling Duck, and 5,000 Yellow-headed Blackbirds.
On November 13, seven people hiked up the Allen Lloyd Trail, observing 48 species including Western Kingbird, Blue Mockingbird, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Groove-billed Ani, Lucy's Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Warbling Vireo and Greater Pewee.
On November 22, we travelled as a goup of 8 birders to the south side of the lake to go round the Rosa Amarilla Loop. We saw Eastern Meadowlark, Northern Mockingbird, Varied Bunting, American Avocet, Say's Phoebe, Wood stork, Lesser Yellowlegs, and Black and White Warbler out of a total of 66 species.
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Here are the species sighted around Lake Chapala in November:
Ani, groove-billed
Avocet American (Ra)
Becard, rose-throated (Ac)
Bittern, least
Blackbird, red-winged (Ca)
Blackbird, yellow-headed (Ca)
Bunting, varied (Sa,Ra)
Caracara, crested
Chat, yellow-breasted (Xt)
Coot, American
Cormorant, neotropic
Cowbird, bronzed
Cowbird, brown-headed
Cuckoo, squirrel (Sa)
Dove, common ground (Ra)
Dove, Eurasian collared
Dove, Inca
Dove, white-tipped
Dove, white-winged
Dowitcher, long-billed
Duck, black-bellied whistling
Duck, fulvous whistling
Duck, Mexican
Duck, ring-necked
Duck, ruddy (Ca,Ra)
Egret, cattle
Egret, great
Egret, snowy
Euphonia, elegant (Sa)
Finch, house
Flycatcher, ash-throated (Sa)
Flycatcher, cordilleran (Ra)
Flycatcher, dusky-capped (At,Sa)
Flycatcher, gray-silky (At)
Flycatcher, social
Flycatcher, vermillion
Gallinule, common
Gnatcatcher, blue-gray
Goldfinch, lesser
Grackle, great-tailed
Grebe, eared (Ca)
Grebe, least
Grebe, pied-billed
Grosbeak, black-headed (Sa)
Grosbeak, blue
Gull, laughing
Gull, ring-billed
Hawk, common black (At)
Hawk, Cooper's (At)
Hawk, red-tailed
Hawk, sharp-shinned (At,Ra)
Hawk, white-tailed (Ra)
Heron, black-crowned night
Heron, great blue
Heron, green
Heron, tri-colored
Hummingbird, beryline (Ra)
Hummingbird, black-chinned (Ac)
Hummingbird, broad-billed
Hummingbird, violet-crowned
Ibis, white-faced
Jacana, northern
Kestrel, American
Killdeer
Kingbird, Cassin's
kingbird, thick-billed
Kingbird, tropical
Kingbird, western (Sa,Av)
Kingfisher, belted
Kiskadee, great
Kite, white-tailed
Meadowlark, eastern (Ra)
Mockingbird, blue
Mockingbird, northern
Motmot, russet-crowned (At)
Nightjar, buff-collared
Oriole, black-backed
Oriole, black-vented
Oriole, Bullock's
Oriole, hooded Sa)
Oriole, orchard
Oriole, streak-backed
Osprey (Xt,Ra)
Parakeet, monk
Pelican, American white
Pewee, greater (Sa)
Phoebe, Say's (Ra)
Pigeon, rock
Pintail, northern
Raven, common
Redstart, American (Ac)
robin, rufous-backed
Sandpiper, spotted
Seedeater, cinnamon-rumped
Shoveler, northern
Shrike, loggerhead
Sora
Sparrow, house
Sparrow, lark
Sparrow, savanna
Sparrow, stripe-headed
Stilt, black-necked
Stork, wood (Ca,Ra)
Swallow, barn
Swallow, northern rough-winged
Swallow, tree
Swallow, violet-green
Tanager, western
Teal, blue-winged (Ra)
Teal, cinnamon
Tern, Caspian (Ra,Sa)
Tern, Forster's
Thrasher, curve-billed
Thrush, orange-billed nightingale (Sa0
Towhee, canyon
Vireo, Bell's (Ac)
Vireo, black-capped (Ac)
Vireo, Cassin's (Sa)
Vireo, plumbeous (Sa)
Vireo, warbling (Sa)
Vulture, black
Vulture, turkey
Warbler, black and white
Warbler, black-throated gray
Warbler, Lucy's (Sa)
Warbler, McGillivray's (Sa)
Warbler, Nashville
Warbler, orange-crowned
Warbler, Townsend's (Sa)
Warbler, Virginia's (Ac)
Warbler, Wilson's
Warbler, yellow
Warbler, yellow-rumped
Waterthrush, northern (Sa)
Woodpecker, golden fronted
Woodpecker, ladder-backed
Wren, Bewick's
Wren, canyon
Wren, happy (At,Sa)
Wren, house (Ca,Sa)
Wren, marsh
Wren, Spotted
Yellowlegs, lesser (Ra)
Location codes:
Ac - Ajijic: La Cristina/El Bajio
At - Trails above Ajijic
Av - Ajijic village
Ca - Lake Cajititlan & marsh
Ch - Chapala
Cu - Cuitzeo/Ocotlan
Dm - Dike: Jamay to Malteraña
Dp - Dike: Maltaraña to 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. This is especially useful to newcomers - it is produced by "Defenders of Wildlife" which works to protect imperiled species throughout North America.
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