Chapala Birders Newsletter, May 2, 2025 | | | Global Big Day - May 10th
On May 10th you can be part of something extraordinary—Global Big Day, a worldwide celebration of birds. No matter where you are, join the global birding community, help celebrate World Migratory Bird Day, and share the birds you find with eBird.
Sightings last Month submitted by Duncan Poole
There were 176 species reported for the lake area in April. The complete list is shown at the end of this newsletter. Interesting sightings included the following: - Great Horned Owl, Reported by (Heard) Cheshta Buckley- Amazonas #52, John Keeling - Villas del Tepalo
- Cape May Warbler, Reported by Nicola Cendron - Antigua Estación de Tren
- Royal Tern, Reported by Thomas Bravo, Cheshta Buckley - Antigua Estación de Tren
- Wilsons Pharalope, Reported by Thomas Bravo - Antigua Estación de Tren.
| | Featured Bird: Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris Himantopus) submitted by Jules Evens | | | The Stilt Sandpiper is a rather uncommon species that winters locally in Central America, southward to interior of central South America. A long distance migrant, in spring it leaves these wintering grounds to nest in the North American subarctic, a journey that can extend as far as 2500 miles (4000 kms) from Argentina to northern Canada. Enroute it passes through the Lake Chapala wetlands sparingly in spring. This is a medium-sized sandpiper, larger than "the peeps" (for example Least or | | | Western sandpipers) but smaller than the dowitchers or yellowlegs with whom it often associates. It differs from other members of the genus (the Calidris sandpipers) with larger size, a longer, slightly dropping bill, rather long greenish-yellow legs, and a prominent white eyebrow. Also, distinguished by proportions—rather slender body and long neck. Spring migrants may show the chestnut crown and cheek and heavily barred underparts of breeding (alternate) plumage, as shown here. Non-breeding plumage is pale gray overall, but the white eyebrow is still apparent. Stilt Sandpipers tend to avoid mudflats in favor of shallow water where they forage belly-deep. Its feeding behavior is similar to dowitchers, probing with a sewing machine ("stitching") motion. As with many other shorebird species, it was considered a "gamebird" in the 19th-century. Hunting names included Stilted Sandpiper, Mongrel, Long-legged Sandpiper, and Frost Snipe.
Photo by Duncan Poole, April 18, 2025 at the Antigua Estación de Tren, Chapala | | 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, please make a contribution to your driver for gas and tolls ($150 pesos for a half day outing, $300 pesos for a day trip).
On Thursday May 8, meet team leader Cheshta Buckley at 8.00 am at the San Antonio Malecon parking lot to walk the Malecon area. At about 10:00am we will review the bird list. You must reserve - email Cheshta Buckley at: cheshta@mac.com at least 2 days ahead of time. Chesh's US cell 808 854 1594. How to get to the Parking Lot: Follow these instructions carefully because of the one-way street system in San Antonio. From Ajijic, go past Walmart and the Coca Cola warehouse, then turn downhill at the traffic light onto San Jose/Allen Lloyd (close to Black Coffee, El Parque, and the Little Theater). Proceed downhill and turn right onto La Paz at a shrine one block before the lake, then turn left at the T intersection, and go one block to the parking lot.
On Friday, May 16, meet team leader Tom Bravo at 8.00 am at the trail head to hike a mile up the Allen Lloyd Trail which has lots of underbrush in which birds love to hide. Expect to see Blue Mockingbird and hear the Happy Wren. At about 10.00 we will make the list and then head to Cafe Negro restaurant for breakfast. Please confirm your attendance by emailing Tom at thmsbrv@gmail.com at least 2 days in advance. How to get to the trail head: Drive up the Libramiento a half mile (1km) from the traffic light at Walmart, then turn left (carefully) as you would for the hospital (Ribera Medical Center), double back and drive up the left side of the hospital. Keep going uphill another half mile, and park on the only street to your left.
1st Sunday of each month: Starting in June, there will be a birding outing along the Allen Lloyd Trail the first Sunday of every month, beginning June 1st! Meet up with trip leaders Kate and Carl Anderson at 8 am (same place as the May 16th trip above). Come prepared for a wee hike. For details, WhatsApp Kate and Carl at 662-357-4430. Check here for pindrop. | | Bird Walk & Trip Reports submitted by April Trip Leaders | | | On April 11th at Christiania Park in Chapala, a group of 17 birders were led by Bob and Mugs McConnell. We observed Snowy and Cattle egrets, plus Black-Crowned Night Herons and Neotropic Cormorants nesting in the trees. Numerous hatchlings who have left the nest were running around below the trees in the grass. We observed a total of 53 species including 2 American Avocet in their breeding plumage, many Long-billed Dowitchers, and a nice group of Least Sandpipers. There was a good variety of Ducks, Terns and Black-necked Stilts. Click here to see the complete ebird list.
On April 16th 10 birders joined our Malecon San Antonio Malecon trip, led by Thomas Bravo. We had a wonderful mix of breeding and migratory birds, totaling 55 species. Fulvous Whistling-duck, Sora, Western Grebe, and Northern Waterthrush were among the morning's highlights. See the complete ebird list here.
On April 24th, a group of 7 birders was led by Cheshta Buckley to the lakeshore near El Bajio. Lower bird sightings reflected the effect of the Spring migratory movement northwards leaving fewer winter visitors of lake waterfowl and shorebirds, together with fewer Tanagers, Warblers a smaller passerines. The highlights include a lingering American Redstart and nest building Spotted Wrens. See full list of sightings here. | | Monthly Sightings List submitted by Duncan Poole | | | Here are the 176 species observed around Lake Chapala in April (in Taxonomic order):
1 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 2 Fulvous Whistling-Duck 3 Blue-winged Teal 4 Cinnamon Teal 5 Northern Shoveler 6 Gadwall 7 American Wigeon 8 Mexican Duck 9 Northern Pintail 10 Green-winged Teal 11 Ruddy Duck 12 Northern Bobwhite 13 Rock Pigeon 14 Eurasian Collared Dove 15 Inca Dove 16 Common Ground Dove 17 White-tipped Dove 18 White-winged Dove 19 Mourning Dove 20 Groove-billed Ani 21 Lesser Roadrunner 22 Greater Roadrunner 23 Squirrel Cuckoo 24 Lesser Nighthawk 25 Buff-collared Nightjar 26 Black-chinned Hummingbird 27 Broad-tailed Hummingbird 28 Broad-billed Hummingbird 29 Violet-crowned Hummingbird 30 Berylline Hummingbird 31 Sora 32 Common Gallinule 33 American Coot 34 Black-necked Stilt 35 American Avocet 36 Killdeer 37 Semipalmated Plover 38 Northern Jacana 39 Long-billed Dowitcher 40 Wilson's Phalarope 41 Spotted Sandpiper 42 Lesser Yellowlegs 43 Willet 44 Stilt Sandpiper 45 Least Sandpiper 46 Laughing Gull 47 Ring-billed Gull 48 American Herring Gull 49 Caspian Tern 50 Forster's Tern 51 Royal Tern 52 Least Grebe 53 Pied-billed Grebe 54 Western Grebe 55 Neotropic Cormorant 56 White-faced Ibis 57 Black-crowned Night 58 Little Blue Heron 59 Tricolored Heron 60 Snowy Egret 61 Green Heron 62 Western Cattle-Egret 63 Great Egret 64 Great Blue Heron 65 American White Pelican 66 Black Vulture 67 Turkey Vulture 68 Osprey 69 White-tailed Kite 70 Cooper's Hawk 71 Red-tailed Hawk 72 Great Horned Owl 73 Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl 74 Russet-crowned Motmot 75 Golden-fronted Woodpecker 76 Ladder-backed Woodpecker 77 Crested Caracara 78 Monk Parakeet 79 Military Macaw 80 Rose Throated Becard 81 Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet 82 Greenish Elaenia 83 Western Wood-Pewee 84 Least Flycatcher 85 Dusky Flycatcher 86 Western Flycatcher 87 Black Phoebe 88 Vermilion Flycatcher 89 Dusky-capped Flycatcher 90 Ash-throated Flycatcher | |  | | 91 Nutting's Flycatcher 92 Brown-crested Flycatcher 93 Great Kiskadee 94 Social Flycatcher 95 Tropical Kingbird 96 Cassin's Kingbird 97 Thick-billed Kingbird 98 Western Kingbird 99 Golden Vireo 100 Bell's Vireo 101 Hutton's Vireo 102 Cassin's Vireo 103 Plumbeous Vireo 104 Warbling Vireo 105 Loggerhead Shrike 106 Common Raven 107 Bank Swallow 108 Tree Swallow 109 Violet-green Swallow 110 Northern Rough-winged Swallow 111 Barn Swallow 112 Cliff Swallow 113 Bushtit 114 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 115 Canyon Wren 116 Northern House Wren 117 Bewick's Wren 118 Spotted Wren 119 Happy Wren 120 Sinaloa Wren 121 Blue Mockingbird 122 Curve-billed Thrasher 123 Northern Mockingbird 124 Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush 125 American Robin 126 Rufous-backed Robin 127 Gray Silky-flycatcher 128 House Sparrow 129 American Pipit 130 Elegant Euphonia 131 House Finch 132 Lesser Goldfinch 133 Stripe-headed Sparrow 134 Chipping Sparrow 135 Clay-colored Sparrow 136 Lark Sparrow 137 Savannah Sparrow 138 Lincoln's Sparrow 139 Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow 140 Canyon Towhee 141 Rusty Sparrow 142 Green-tailed Towhee 143 Yellow-breasted Chat 144 Yellow-headed Blackbird 145 Black-vented Oriole 146 Orchard Oriole 147 Hooded Oriole 148 Streak-backed Oriole 149 Bullock's Oriole 150 Black-backed Oriole 151 Bronzed Cowbird 152 Brown-headed Cowbird 153 Great-tailed Grackle 154 Northern Waterthrush 155 Black-and-white Warbler 156 Orange-crowned Warbler 157 Nashville Warbler 158 Virginia's Warbler 159 Gray-crowned Yellowthroat 160 MacGillivray's Warbler 161 Common Yellowthroat 162 American Redstart 163 Cape May Warbler 164 Yellow Warbler 165 Yellow-rumped Warbler 166 Rufous-capped Warbler 167 Wilson's Warbler 168 Western Tanager 169 Flame-colored Tanager 170 Black-headed Grosbeak 171 Blue Grosbeak 172 Lazuli Bunting 173 Indigo Bunting 174 Varied Bunting 175 Painted Bunting 176 Cinnamon-rumped Seedeater
What is the "Lake Chapala Area"? We define it as the whole area of the lake plus all land within 15km (or 7 miles) from the edge of the lake. We combine sightings for the month from Chapala, Jocotopec, Poncititlan and Jamay. | | | Lake Chapala Birders is an informal group of bird observers led by a team of Chapala Birders on behalf of John and Rosemary Keeling. Overall Coordinator - Cheshta Buckley Newsletter - Mugs McConnell Website - Robert McConnell Feature Bird - Jules Evans Monthly Sightings Lists - Duncan Poole Bird Trip Leaders and Reports - Cheshta Buckley, Thomas Bravo, Kate and Carl Anderson, Jules Evens, Duncan Poole, John Roynon.
Illustrated color folders showing our common birds are 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 on bird walks.
We like to hear of bird sightings at: chapalabirders@yahoo.com.
Check our website: ChapalaBirders.org There you will find our newsletters, illustrations of our birds and advice on buying binoculars, books and birding apps. | | |
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