Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Newsletter


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
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.
Bird-walks and Trips
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.
Birdwalk & Trip Reports
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.
Monthly Sightings List
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.

We like to hear of bird sightings at: chapalabirders@yahoo.com.

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