Chapala Birders Newsletter, February 2, 2021 | | 202 Species Seen in January | | This is certainly a record number of species in any month for Lake Chapala. This was accomplished by a lot of birding by our group of keen birders The complete list appears at the end of this newsletter. Highlights this month included:
- An unusual Rusty Sparrow was seen on the Caracol Trail to the upper oak forest. On the upper levels of this trail Hermit Warbler, Graces's Warbler, Olive warbler and Flame-colored Tanager were also reported.
- The 'Los Arrieros Trail' in Ixtlahuacan was the source of interesting sightings including Painted Bunting, Bell's Vireo, Squirrel cuckoo and Greenish Elaenia.
- We were invited to take part in a Water-Bird Census conducted by Ducks Unlimited of Mexico. We covered the length of the Dike across the east end of Lake Chapala, sighting Stilt Sandpiper and Roseate Spoonbill as well as a group of 36 Swainson's Hawks (a stupendous number) all circling over one burning field.
| | Great Backyard Bird Count | | Once again eBird is promoting the Great Backyard Bird Count over the four day period from February 12 to 15. It is designed to encourage people to go out birding in the fresh air and to use eBird to record the results. All you need is a pair of binoculars and an eBird account. For further details go to birdcount.org. To get binocular recommendations go to our website chapalabirders.org, and to get an eBird account go to ebird.org - be prepared to supply your name, email address and a password. | | Featured Bird: Cedar Waxwing | | | | - The Cedar Waxwing has a smooth appearance, a black mask across the eye and a crest which is sometimes up, sometimes down.
- Breeds in the northern US and Canada, and winters from the southern states through central America to northern Colombia.
- It is very social, often building nests in groups and usually traveling in flocks outside the breeding season.
- It is monogamous during the breeding season from June to August. The female builds the first nest in 5 days. incubation of eggs takes 12 days and the young, born sightless, fledge in 16 days.
- In the summer it eats insects and feeds insects to its young, After that the flocks are 'irruptive', moving frequently to find good sources of small berries.
- While the eggs and juveniles may be eaten by blue jays, the adults are preyed on by falcons and hawks.
| | We are proposing to continue with our reduced-size birdwalks for which you must reserve a place by email ( chapalabirders@yahoo.com) ahead of time. Masks will be worn and social distancing will be required. There will be no indoor activity, meaning no group breakfast at the end of the walk. Maximum attendance will be ten people. Please reserve a space by email at least 48 hours ahead of each birdwalk.
On Monday, February 8, we will meet at 8.15 am at El Bajio, on the west side of Ajijic. We will walk down the lane to the lake, expecting to see a good variety of birds in the tall trees and fields. Reserve by email. How to Get There: From Ajijic go about 2 mi. (3 km) west from the light at Colon, turn downhill at the sign for El Bajio. Park immediately on the lateral. Note, if you reach a bus stop in front of a vivero with signs for H. La Cristina, you have gone a block too far.
On Wednesday, February 17, we will meet at 8.15 am at the entrance to Cristiania Park in Chapala. We should see an interesting selection of species in the park trees and on the shore of the lake. We will bird for about two hours. Wear face masks and practice social distancing. Reserve by email. How to Get There: From Ajijic go to the traffic light at the main street of Chapala (Av. Madero), cross straight over and keep going straight for five blocks, turn left at the T intersection and park on the right.
On Friday, February 25, 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 - if we are lucky. Reserve by email. 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, next to the new hospital. | | On January 12, we had a small group at Cristiania Park in Chapala in coolish weather (Jackets required) and generally clear sky. We were rewarded with an unexpectedly good list of 65 species which included Northern Jacana, Cooper's Hawk, Wilson's Snipe, Orchard Oriole, Osprey, Lucy's Warbler, and Black Phoebe.
On January 21, we had a small group at La Cristina on the west side of Ajijic under clear skies. We saw Blue Mockingbird, Northern Mockingbird, Cassin's Kingbird, Black-vented Oriole and Forster's Tern, among a list of 47 species. | | Here are the 202 species sighted around Lake Chapala in January: Ani, groove-billed Avocet, American Blackbird, red-winged (Ra) Blackbird, yellow-headed Bluebird, eastern (Ra) Bunting, indigo (Av) Bunting, lazuli Bunting, painted (Xt) Bunting, varied Bushtit (Ps) Caracara, crested Chat, yellow-breasted (Xt) Coot, American Cormorant, neotropic Cowbird, bronzed (Ch) Cowbird, brown-headed Cuckoo, squirrel (Xt) Curlew, long-billed (Dp) Dove, common ground (Dp) Dove, Eurasian collared Dove, Inca Dove, mourning (Ca,Ct) Dove, white-tipped (Xt) Dove, white-winged Dowitcher, long-billed Duck, fulvous whistling (Oc) Duck, Mexican (Dp) Duck, ruddy Egret, cattle Egret, great Egret, snowy Elaenia, greenish (Xt,Ct) Falcon, peregrine (Oc) Finch, house Flycatcher, ash-throated Flycatcher, buff-breasted (Ra) Flycatcher, cordilleran (Xt) Flycatcher, dusky (Xt) Flycatcher, dusky-capped (Ct) Flycatcher, gray silky (Ps,Av) Flycatcher, Hammond's (Ct) Flycatcher, least (Xt) Flycatcher, social Flycatcher, vermilion Gadwall (Ch,Dp) Gallinule, common Gallinule, purple (Oc) Gnatcatcher, blue-gray Goldfinch, lesser Grackle, great-tailed Grebe, least Grebe, pied-billed Grosbeak, black-headed Grosbeak, blue Gull, laughing Gull, ring-billed Harrier, northern (Ca,Dp) Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, gray Hawk, red-tailed Hawk, sharp-shinned Hawk, Swainson's (Dp) Hawk, white-tailed Hawk, zone-tailed (Jo) Heron, black-crowned night Heron, great blue Heron, green Heron, little blue Heron, tri-colored Hummingbird, berylline (Ct) Hummingbird, black-chinned Hummingbird, broad-billed Hummingbird, Rivoli's (Sc) Hummingbird, rufous (Sc) Hummingbird, violet-crowned Ibis, white-faced Jacana, northern Kestrel, American Killdeer Kingbird, Cassin's Kingbird, thick-billed (Av) Kingbird, tropical Kingbird, western Kingfisher, belted (Ac) Kinglet, ruby-crowned (Ct) Kiskadee, great Kite, white-tailed Meadowlark, eastern (Ra) Merlin (Ra) Mockingbird, blue Mockingbird, northern Nighthawk, lesser (Ch) Nightjar, buff-collared Oriole, black-backed (Dp) Oriole, black-vented Oriole, Bullock's Oriole, hooded Oriole, orchard (Ps) Oriole, streak-backed Osprey (Ra,Ch) Owl, barn (Jo) Owl, ferruginous pygmy (Sa) Owl, great horned Owl, mountain pygmy (Ct) Parakeet, monk Parrot, red-lored (Ct,Sa) Pelican, American white Pelican, brown (Ca) Pewee, greater Phoebe, black (Ps,Ch) Phoebe, Say's (Ra) Pigeon, rock Pintail, northern Pipit, American (Ra) Plover, semipalmated Raven, common Redhead Redstart, American (Dp) Redstart, painted (Ct) Roadrunner, greater (Ct) Robin, rufous-backed Sandpiper, least Sandpiper, spotted Sandpiper, stilt (Dp) Sapsucker, yellow-bellied (Jo) Seedeater, cinnamon-rumped Shoveler, northern Shrike, loggerhead Siskin, pine Snipe, Wilson's (Ch,Oc) Solitaire, brown-backed (At,Ct) Sora (Oc,Dp) Sparrow, chipping Sparrow, clay-colored Sparrow, house Sparrow, lark Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, rusty (Ct) Sparrow, rusty-crowned ground Sparrow, savannah Sparrow, stripe-headed Spoonbill, roseate (Ps,Dp) Stilt, black-necked Swallow, barn Swallow, northern rough-winged Swallow, tree Swallow, violet-green Tanager, flame-colored (Ct) Tanager, hepatic Tanager, western Teal, blue-winged Teal, cinnamon Teal, green-winged Tern, Caspian Tern, Forster's (Ac,Dp) Thrasher, curve-billed Thrush, hermit (Ct) Thrush, orange-billed nightingale Towhee, canyon Towhee, green-tailed (Ct) Tyrannulet, northern beardless Vireo, Bell's (Xt) Vireo, black capped (Xt) Vireo, Cassin's (Sa,Ct) Vireo, golden (Ct) Vireo, Hutton's (Ps) Vireo, warbling (Sa) Vulture, black Vulture, turkey Warbler, black and white Warbler, black-throated gray Warbler, Grace's (Ct) Warbler, hermit (Ct) Warbler, Lucy's (Ch) Warbler, MacGillivray's (Av,Dp) Warbler, Nashville Warbler, olive (Ct) Warbler, orange-crowned Warbler, red-faced (Ct) Warbler, rufous-capped (Ct) Warbler, Townsend's (Ct) Warbler, Virginia's (Sa) Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, yellow (Ch,Dp) Warbler, yellow-rumped Waterthrush, northern (Jo) Waxwing, cedar (Dp) Wigeon, American Woodpecker, acorn (Ct) Woodpecker, golden-fronted Woodpecker, ladder-backed Wren, Bewick's Wren, cactus Wren, canyon Wren, happy (Ct) Wren, house (Ps,Dp) Wren, marsh (Ca,Ch,Oc) Wren, spotted Yellowlegs, greater (Ra) Yellowlegs, lesser (Ps) Yellowthroat, common (Ch,Dp) Yellowthroat, gray-crowned | | 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 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 Oc - Ocotlan 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 | | | Lake Chapala Birders is an informal group of bird observers led by John and Rosemary Keeling.
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