Chapala Birders Newsletter, December 2, 2023 | | | Sightings last Month
There were 191 species reported for the lake area in November. The complete list is shown at the end of this newsletter.
Unusual sightings in November:
- Ross's Goose was seen by Nicola Cendron at Chapala.
- Brewer's Sparrow was reported by Juan Gonzales on the Dike at the east end of the lake.
- Red Crossbill was observed by Jules Evens on the Mezcala Mountain.
- Mexican Violetear was sighted by Chris Lloyd and Jules Evens on the Caracol Trail.
| | Featured Bird: Ross's Goose | | An adult Ross's Goose showing the short red bill and the black wing-tip feathers. These are social birds, forming large flocks in the winter, and forming large breeding colonies in the Arctic. It often travels with Snow Geese. | | - The Ross's Goose is a small white goose the same size as a large duck.
- It winters in the U.S and Mexico, and breeds in the high arctic. First year birds do not breed. The nest is a bowl of twigs and grasses on the ground. The female lays 4 eggs which are incubated for 3 weeks. The young swim on the first day of hatching and fly after 6 weeks.
- It prefers to nest on islands in small lakes for protection from animal predators.
- It was seriously threatened by winter hunting which was made illegal in 1931. The population increased and now hunting is permitted once again.
| | | Sign Up Now for the Christmas Bird Count & Potluck Supper
The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) for the Ajijic Area will be held on Thursday December 14.This is a special morning to count birds for science. Everyone with an interest in birds is welcome to take part.
Participants must register with John by email to chapalabirders@yahoo.com. Please provide: - Your name
- Your cell phone number
- Whether you can bring a car or need a ride,
- Whether you plan to attend the potluck supper in the evening.
We divide participants into teams, with each team having 4 to 6 members. Each team will go to a particular part of our designated 15 mile diameter circle which runs from San Juan Cosala to San Nicolas, and north to Lake Cajititlan. Your team leader will contact you close to the time of the count to confirm your meeting point. We generally do the counting from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm.
The Potluck Supper celebration will be held at 6.00 pm on the same day (December 14) at the Keeling's house in Ajijic. Bring your spouse or partner. This is an opportunity to meet the other participants and compare sightings. We will provide wine and beer.
There is no fee for the Count, but in the past, our members have encouraged me to ask for a donation towards the out-of pocket costs of Chapala Birders. These are for website hosting and newsletter mailing, which together cost about $8,000 pesos per year.
The "Dike CBC" at the east end of the lake will be held on Saturday December 16. This is an all-day affair as it is 80km (50 mi.) from Ajijic. Please sign up by email for this count. We will have one team for this circle which extends from Jamay to La Palma and east to Briseñas. | | Upcoming Bird-walks and Trips | | | 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. Note that we will try to limit most car trips to three vehicles and 14 people because larger convoys are hard to manage 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 $150 pesos for a half day outing, $300 pesos for a day trip).
On Friday December 8, we will meet at 8.15 am at Puerta Nueva on the west side of Ajijic. We will see some shore birds and birds in the tall trees along the street. At about 10.00 am we will head to Fonda Doña Lola Restaurant for breakfast and complete the bird list. How to Get There: Drive about one mile (3km) west from Colon, past the French Bakery and the Cemetery; then take the next left exit signed 'Villa Lucerna'; after one block the road 'jogs' so you turn left and quickly right. Then park immediately, close to the tree, not far from the sign Puerta Nueva. From here we will all walk slowly down to the lake.
On Thursday December 28, we will meet at 8.00 am at the "Sculpture" (at the only traffic light in La Floresta, south-east corner, opposite Restaurant Pranzo), departing immediately for Villa Corona on Lake Atotonilco (60 minutes drive). We expect to see various shore birds such as White-faced Ibis and Roseate Spoonbill. 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. You must reserve - email John at least 2 days ahead of time, saying if you can bring a vehicle and can take others, or you would like to be a passenger. (We do not always have enough cars.) | | | On November 9, there were eleven birders out for the walk on the Allen Lloyd Trail in San Antonio Tlayacapan. We observed 35 species including Western Flycatcher, Happy Wren, Green-tailed Towhee, Painted Redstart, MacGillivray's Warbler, Western Tanager and Western Kingbird.
On November 20, we had one carload of observers on the day-trip to the El Tigre Loop which includes the mountain above Mazamitla. Sightings included Wood-Stork, Brown-backed Solitaire, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Trans-volcanic Jay, Acorn Woodpecker Gray Silky-Flycatcher, Gray Hawk and Elegant Euphonia. | | | Here are the 191 species sighted around Lake Chapala in November:
Ani, groove-billed Avocet, American Becard, rose-throated (Ct) Blackbird, red-winged Blackbird, yellow-headed Bunting, indigo Bunting, painted Bunting, varied Bushtit Canvasback Caracara, crested Chat, yellow-breasted Coot, American Cormorant, neotropic Cowbird, bronzed Cowbird, brown-headed Crossbill, red (Mz) Cuckoo, squirrel Dove, Eurasian collared Dove, Inca Dove, mourning Dove, white-tipped Dove, white-winged Dowitcher, long-billed Duck, black-bellied whistling Duck, Mexican Duck, ring-necked Duck, ruddy Egret, great Egret, snowy Egret, western cattle Elaenia, greenish (Sa) Falcon, peregrine Finch, house Flycatcher, ash-throated Flycatcher, buff-breasted (Mz) Flycatcher, dusky Flycatcher, dusky-capped Flycatcher, gray silky Flycatcher, Hammond's Flycatcher, least Flycatcher, Nutting's Flycatcher, social Flycatcher, vermilion Flycatcher, vermilion Gadwall (Ch) Gallinule, common Gnatcatcher, blue-gray Goldfinch, lesser Goose, Ross's Grackle, great-tailed Grebe, Clark's Grebe, least Grosbeak, black-headed Grosbeak, blue Gull, laughing Gull, ring-billed Harrier, northern (Mz) Hawk, broad-winged Hawk, common black (Mz) Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, gray Hawk, red-tailed Hawk, sharp-shinned Hawk, short-tailed (Mz) Hawk, Swainson's (Mz) Hawk, zone-tailed (Ch) Heron, black-crowned night Heron, great blue Heron, little blue Heron, tri-colored Hummingbird, berylline Hummingbird, broad-billed Hummingbird, ruby-throated (Ch) Hummingbird, rufous Hummingbird, violet-crowned Ibis, white-faced Jacana, northern Kestrel, American Killdeer Kingbird, Cassin's Kingbird, thick-billed Kingbird, tropical Kingbird, western Kingfisher, belted Kinglet, ruby-crowned Kiskadee, great Kite, white-tailed Merlin Mockingbird, blue Mockingbird, northern Nighthawk, lesser (Mz) Oriole, black-backed Oriole, black-vented Oriole, Bullock's Oriole, hooded Oriole, orchard Oriole, streak-backed Osprey Owl, ferruginous pygmy Owl, great horned Parakeet, monk Pelican, American white Pewee, greater Pewee, western wood Phalarope, Wilson's Phoebe, black Phoebe, Say's (Ch) Pigeon, rock Pintail, northern Pipit, American Plover, semipalmated Rail, Aztec (Rp) Raven, common Redstart, American Redstart, painted Redstart, slate-throated Robin, rufous-backed Sandpiper, least Sandpiper, spotted Sandpiper, stilt Seedeater, cinnamon-rumped Shoveler, northern Shrike, loggerhead Snipe, Wilson's (Rp) Solitaire, brown-backed Sora Sparrow, Brewer's (Dm) Sparrow, chipping Sparrow, clay-colored Sparrow, house Sparrow, lark Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, rusty-crowned ground Sparrow, savannah Sparrow, stripe-headed Sparrow, vesper (Dm) Stilt, black-necked Swallow, barn Swallow, northern rough-winged Swallow, tree Swallow, violet-green Tanager, summer Tanager, western Teal, blue-winged Teal, cinnamon Teal, green-winged Tern, Caspian Tern, Forster's Tern, least Thrasher, curve-billed Thrush, hermit (Mz) Thrush, orange-billed nightingale Towhee, canyon Towhee, green-tailed (Sa) Tyrannulet, northern beardless Violetear, Mexican (Ct) Vireo, Cassin's Vireo, golden Vireo, warbling Vulture, black Vulture, turkey Warbler, black and white Warbler, black-throated gray Warbler, hermit Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Nashville Warbler, orange-crowned Warbler, red-faced Warbler, rufous-capped Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Virginia's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, yellow Warbler, yellow-rumped Waterthrush, northern (Sa) Wigeon, American Willet Woodpecker, golden-fronted Woodpecker, ladder-backed Wren, Bewick's Wren, canyon Wren, happy Wren, house Wren, marsh Wren, Sinaloa (Ch) Wren, spotted Yellowlegs, greater Yellowlegs, lesser Yellowthroat, common | |  | | Sighting Location codes: Ac - Ajijic: La Cristina & El Bajio At - Trails above Ajijic Av - Ajijic village Ca - Lake Cajititlan & marsh Ch - Chapala Ct - Caracol Trail & Int'l School Cu - Chapala Haciendas & UofG Cv - Cerro Viejo 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 Mz - Mezcala Oc - Ocotlan Pe - Petatan area Ps - Pumping Station & Santa Cruz Pt - San Pedro Tesistan Pz - San Pedro Itzican/Poncitlan 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 Tr - Potrerillos & Las Trojes & Chupinaya Tu - Tuxcueca & San Luis Soyatlan Xt - Ixtlahuacan & Las Campanillas
What is the "Lake Chapala Area"? We define it as the whole area of the lake plus all land within 15km (or 7 miles) of the edge of the lake. | | Lake Chapala Birders is an informal group of bird observers led by John and Rosemary Keeling.
Illustrated color folders showing our common birds are once again available for $200 pesos at Diane Pearl's Gallery, 11 am to 4 pm, Santa Margarita #23, at the east end of Riberas del Pilar. Also available from John Keeling.
There you will find our newsletters, illustrations of our birds and advice on buying binoculars, books and birding apps. | | |
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