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| Chapala Birders Newsletter August, 2025 |
| | eBird News & Sightings Last Month submitted by Duncan Poole, John Keeling, Mugs McConnell |
| eBird Community News Did you know that your eBirding data can help to further conservation, inspire support and inform ecological strategies? Keep those lists coming. You can read more about projects resulting from your list contributions at eBird in Action.
Birding Ethics As we head out to enjoy the birds, it is important to respect the birds, their habitat and each other. To limit our impact there are a few simple rules to follow, like leaving dogs at home, staying on the trails, giving birds their space, and sticking with your group. Before going on a bird outing, check these guidelines and a great article on Birding Ethics from eBird. Obituary Don Bell passed away June 14, 2025. He and his wife Myrtle maintained a winter home in west Ajijic, where he could be seen on the highway in running gear. A keen birder and outdoorsman, he was an active and respected member of our birding group. He made a habit of going round his local area every Sunday morning to make a bird list. He grew up on a farm in Manitoba and was a high school teacher and principal in Morden, Saskatchewan. For hundreds of students, he was the best track coach and mentor they ever had.
Sightings This Past July There were 116 species reported for the lake area in Jul. The complete list is shown at the end of this newsletter.
Interesting sightings included the following: Northern Waterthrush, Kate Anderson, Robert and Marion McConnell, and others, Creek Walk, La Manzanilla de la Paz, (1stsighting for this time of Year) Bonparte's/Sabine's Gull , Thomas Bravo, Cheshta Buckley, Presas de San Nicolas de Ibarra
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| | Feature Bird: Rufous-capped Warbler (Basileuterus Rufifrons) submitted by Jules Evens. Photo & Video credit: Sam Shepherd |
| | This small, brightly colored warbler is sassy and sometimes secretive, creeping amidst low tangles of vegetation. It prefers dry, semi-open, scrub habitats, from sea level to 3,000 m above sea level, although most common above1,000-m. Although rather common here, it may be difficult to see due to its furtive behavior. When it does emerge from the thickets, it is a perky and active sprite, cocking-up and flicking its long tail and flapping its wings. Conspicuously plumaged, it has a rufous crown and cheek separated by a white eyeline, a bright yellow throat and chest, a white belly, with grayish-olive upperparts. Also, a large head and rather stout bill for a warbler. The sexes are similar and both sing. The song is a rapid accelerating trill |
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| with a slight change in timbre amidst the series of notes, often becoming more rapid and emphatic mid-way through the song. Like most warblers, it has a strong "chip" location note and a strident chatter when agitated, usually given from protective cover.
Its diet is mostly of insects, but berries are taken as well. When foraging it is slow and deliberate, unlike the perkiness it exhibits in the open. Due to its furtive nature, very little information is available about the breeding biology and other aspects of this warbler.
This is a year-round resident nearly endemic to Mexico, barely extending into northern Guatemala and sparingly in the southernmost U.S.
Birds in the southern part of the range are now split out as a separate "sister" species—the Chestnut-capped warbler (Basileuterus delattrii), found from extreme southern Mexico through Middle America to northern Colombia. The closest relative in central Jalisco is the Golden-browed Warbler (Basileuterus belli). It is known to hybridize with the Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas x Basileuterus rufifrons).
Here is a short video clip taken on the Allen Lloyd trail in Ajiic on July 7th. |
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| | Upcoming Bird Walks & Trips |
| Our bird-walks are open to all those interested in birds, both beginners & experienced birders. We always have knowledgeable birders on hand to identify the species. Note that we will try to limit most car trips to 3-4 vehicles and 12-16 people. Larger convoys are hard to manage while honoring Birding Ethics. If you are being given a ride, you are expected make a contribution to your driver for gas and tolls ($150 pesos for a half day outing, $300 pesos for a day trip). |
| 1st SUNDAY OF THE MONTH: August 3rd there will be a birding outing along the Allen Lloyd Trail. Meet up with trip leaders Kate and Carl Anderson at 8am. Come prepared for a wee hike. Expect to see Blue Mockingbird and Happy Wren. Please confirm your attendance at least 2 days in advance by sending an email to hdd@hdd.net How to get to the trail head: Drive up the Libramiento a half mil (1 km) 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. Here is a pindrop.
On Wednesday August 13th, meet team leader Cheshta Buckley at 8.00 am at El Bajio on the west side of Ajijic and walk down the lane to the lake. Expect to see a good variety of birds in the tall trees and fields. At about 10.00 am 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. (Location pindrop)
On Tuesday August 26th, meet team leaders Robert and Mugs McConnell at 8:00am at the "Sculpture" (see pindrop - its at the only traffic light in La Floresta). We will depart immediately for the Rosa Amarilla Loop on the south side of the lake, about a 60 minute drive. Expect to see a variety of grassland birds and possibly a White-tailed Hawk. Bring enough refreshments for a morning coffee break and a 12:30 lunch. We will be back at about 4:00 pm. You must reserve as we would like to limit it to 4 cars if possible to avoid congestion when parking on roads. Email Robert at bob.mcconnell58@gmail.com and reserve 5 days in advance and indicate whether you can bring a car or you would like to be a passenger. Each passenger pays the driver $300 pesos to cover gas and tolls. |
| | Bird Walk Trip Reports submitted by June Trip Leaders |
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| On Sunday, July 6, what started with 12 keen birders on the Allen Lloyd trail ended with 14. The Buckleys, flying in over night from Ireland, made a dash to catch up with Kate and Carl Anderson's group just as a Russet-crowned Motmot flew over the group. John Keeling came to help with bird ID and other aspects of birding that one always learns from him. Great sightings were had by all. The Squirrel cuckoo made a brief appearance right from the start. More Motmots cooed close by but no one could find them. It wasn't till later that one flew over. Constantly the Northern Rough-winged swallows dashed about. A kettle of Black Vultures thought they would come in from the lake for the count. Special was a pair of Chestnut-capped warblers which Sam got an incredible video of. Sam also videoed a nest building Streak-backed Oriole. It was fun watching birds close up in real time through his scope rigged with phone camera. Thank you Sam for lugging that up the canyon. During this rainy season the group was blessed with sunshine and clean air. The lush vegetation made it challenging to spot birds. 40 species was a great count since this is the time of year there are fewer birds. Here is the full checklist of birds observed.
On Tuesday, July 15, 15 birders joined Thomas Bravo and visited Villa Corona on Lake Atontonilco. Despite the low water levels, 39 species were seen, highlighted by 140 Whistling Ducks, thousands of White-faced Ibis, American Avocets, a Snowy Plover, and a very surprising Snow Goose. Follow this list to all species and images.
On Tuesday, July 29th, 12 enthusiastic birders joined Robert and Mugs McConnell on a trip to La Manzanilla de la Paz on the other side of Lake Chapala. All enjoyed a beautiful walk along the creek path up to the Presa Del Chiflon. A total of 29 species were observed. The Greenish Elaenia, Gray-Silky Flycatcher, and Orange-billed Nightingale Thrush were the top 3 highlights, but also the Northern Waterthrush and adult Spotted Wrens feeding the chicks in the nest. A Western Flycatcher feeding 3 fledglings in a willow tree made for a good ending for a wonderful day. See list. |
| | Monthly Sightings List submitted by Duncan Poole |
| Here are the 116 species observed around Lake Chapala in July (in Taxonomic order):
1 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 2 Fulvous Whistling-Duck 3 Muscovy Duck 4 Mexican Duck 5 Ruddy Duck 6 Northern Bobwhite 7 Rock Pigeon 8 Eurasian Collared-Dove 9 Inca Dove 10 Common Ground Dove 11 White-Tipped Dove 12 White-winged Dove 13 Mourning Dove 14 Groove-billed Ani 15 Lesser Roadrunner 16 Greater Roadrunner 17 Squirrel Cuckoo 18 Rivoli's Hummingbird 19 Broad-billed Hummingbird 20 Violet-crowned Hummingbird 21 Berylline Hummingbird 22 Common Gallinule 23 American Coot 24 Black-necked Stilt 25 Killdeer 26 Northern Jacana 27 Spotted Sandpiper 28 Bonparte's/Sabine's Gull 29 Laughing Gull 30 Ring-billed Gull 31 Caspian Tern 32 Least Grebe 33 Pied-billed Grebe 34 Clark's Grebe 35 Neotropic Cormorant 36 White-faced Ibis 37 Least Bittern 38 Black-crowned Night Heron 39 Little Blue Heron 40 Tricolored Heron 41 Snowy Egret 42 Green Heron 43 Western Cattle-Egret 44 Great Egret 45 Great Blue Heron 46 American White Pelican 47 Brown Pelican 48 Black Vulture 49 Turkey Vulture 50 Osprey 51 White-tailed Kite 52 Cooper's Hawk 53 Red-tailed Hawk 54 Great Horned Owl 55 Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl 56 Russet-crowned Motmot |
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| 57 Green Kingfisher 58 Golden-fronted Woodpecker 59 Ladder-backed Woodpecker 60 Crested Caracara 61 Monk Parakeet 62 Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet 63 Greenish Elaenia 64 Greater Pewee 65 Western Wood-Pewee 66 Western Flycatcher 67 Vermilion Flycatcher 68 Dusky-capped Flycatcher 69 Brown-crested Flycatcher 70 Great Kiskadee 71 Social Flycatcher 72 Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher 73 Tropical Kingbird 74 Cassin's Kingbird 75 Thick-billed Kingbird 76 Golden Vireo 77 Loggerhead Shrike 78 Northern Rough-winged wallow 79 Barn Swallow 80 Cliff Swallow 81 Black-capped Gnatcatcher 82 Canyon Wren 83 Bewick's Wren 84 Spotted Wren 85 Happy Wren 86 Sinaloa Wren 87 Blue Mockingbird 88 Curve-billed Thrasher 89 Northern Mockingbird 90 Brown-backed Solitaire 91 Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush 92 Rufous-backed Robin 93 Gray Silky-flycatcher 94 House Sparrow 95 House Finch 96 Lesser Goldfinch 97 Stripe-headed Sparrow 98 Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow 99 Canyon Towhee 100 Rusty Sparrow 101 Yellow-headed Blackbird 102 Black-vented Oriole 103 Streak-backed Oriole 104 Black-backed Oriole 105 Orchard Oriole 106 Bronzed Cowbird 107 Brown-headed Cowbird 108 Great-tailed Grackle 109 Northern Waterthrush 110 Gray-crowned Yellowthroat 111 Common Yellowthroat 112 Yellow Warbler 113 Rufous-capped Warbler 114 Blue Grosbeak 115 Blue-black Grassquit 116 Cinnamon-rumped Seedeater |
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| What is the "Lake Chapala Area" for bird sightings? We define it as the whole area of the lake plus all land within 15 km (7 miles) from the edge of the lake. We combine sightings for the month from Chapala, Jocotopec, Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos, Poncitlán, Ocotlán, Jamay, & La Manzanilla de la Paz. |
| | | John and Rosemary Keeling |
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| Lake Chapala Birders is an informal group of bird observers let by a team of Chapala Birders on behalf of John & Rosemary Keeling. Overall Coordinator: Cheshta Buckley Newsletter: Mugs McConnell Website: Robert McConnell Feature Bird: Jules Evens Monthly Sightings List: Duncan Poole Bird Trip Leaders & Reports: Cheshta Buckley, Thomas Bravo, Kate & Carl Anderson, Jules Evens, Duncan Poole, John Roynon, Robert Taylor, Robert & Mugs McConnell. |
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| | Illustrated color folders showing our common birds are available for $200 pesos from your birding group leaders on bird walks. Also available at Diane Pearl's Gallery, 11am to 4pm, Santa Margarita #23, Riberas del Pilar.
You can sign up for this newsletter or send us your exciting bird sightings at birderschapala@gmail.com.
Check our website: ChapalaBirders.org . There you will find our newsletters, illustrations of our birds and advice on buying binoculars, books & birding apps. |
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