Chapala Birders Newsletter, November 2, 2021 | | Sightings this Month
There were 131 species reported for the lake area in October. The complete list is shown at the end of this newsletter. Interesting sightings included the following;
- Nicola Cendron reported a Barn Owl and Lesser Nighthawks in the Chapala area.
- Kate and Carl Anderson saw a Brown Pelican and Painted Bunting in Riberas del Pilar.
- Laura Dangerfield reported Louisiana Waterthrush and Elegant Euphonia in Ajijic.
| | Featured Bird: Western Kingbird | | A Western Kingbird showing the characteristic white edges of the tail. | | - Western Kingbirds breed in western north America from Canada to northern Mexico.
- Their winter range is from Southern Mexico to Costa Rica. So it is possible to see them here year round but we see them most in October and November as they migrate southwards.
- They are wandering birds, in winter moving in large groups in search of berries.
- Our biggest challenge is separating them from the more common native Tropical Kingbird. The principal differences are the white edging to the tail and less of a notch at the end of the tail.
- They are birds of relatively open habitats with some trees and bushes. They often nest on man-made structures. Their range has expanded over the last 200 years with clearing of forests.
- As flycatchers, they have bills that open wide to catch flying insects and also eat insects on the ground.
| | The largest eggs are those of the ostrich at 15cm long and are equivalent to 2% of the parent's weight. The smallest eggs are those of the Vervain Hummingbird at 1cm long equivalent to 15% of the parent's weight. You can understand why Hummingbirds only lay two eggs.
Some species are programmed to lay a certain number of eggs, like the hummingbirds. Other species will keep laying eggs at the rate of one a day if some are removed. In experiments a house sparrow was tricked into laying 50 eggs in a row and a flicker 71 eggs in 73 days.
Most birds will only start incubating when all the eggs are laid. The eggs must be kept warm at about 36C if the chicks are to develop normally. This compares with a body temperature of about 40C. Many species create a 'brood patch' free of feathers to better transfer heat to the eggs while sitting on them.
The incubation period is the time required to sit on the eggs until they hatch.This is 12 days in the case of most perching birds which are born blind and featherless, and typically 26 days in the case of shorebirds whose chicks walk away from the nest within a few hours of hatching. During incubation the parent must rotate the eggs every half hour, even at night, to promote proper development and to move outlying eggs to the center of the nest.
Finally, the chick inside the egg must crack open the shell in order to hatch. This is energetic and time consuming. Chicks are equipped with a hard protrusion on the bill called an 'egg tooth' which the chick uses repeatedly to first make a crack, then a small hole, continuing until the shell breaks in half. | | We are proposing to gradually get back to normal with larger groups, but masks will be worn in public in compliance with regulations.
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 limit car trips to four vehicles 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 $50-100 pesos for a half day outing, $150-200 pesos for a day trip).
On Tuesday November 9, we will meet at 8.00 am at the "Sculpture" (at the only traffic light in La Floresta, south west corner, opposite Restaurant Pranzo) and at 8.15 at the Pemex at the intersection of the Chapala-Guadalajara highway, leaving immediately for the Lake Cajititlan Marsh (30 minutes drive). Wear face masks and practice social distancing. We expect to see a variety of marsh and lake birds such as Black-necked Stilt, Snowy Egret, and perhaps American Avocet.There will be a break for snacking at 11.00 am. Expect to be back in Ajijic by 1.00 pm. You must reserve - email John at chapalabirders@yahoo.com at least 2 days ahead saying if you are bringing a vehicle or whether you are looking for a ride.
On Wednesday November 17, we will meet at 8.30 am at the entrance to Cristiania Park in Chapala. We should see an interesting selection of species in the park and on the shore of the lake. At about 10.00 we will go to 'La Palapa de Don Juan' for breakfast and complete the bird list. 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, near the Park entrance.
On Tuesday November 30, we will meet at 8.00 am at the "Sculpture" (at the only traffic light in La Floresta, south side, near 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 2.00 pm depending on lakeshore traffic. You must reserve - email John at least 2 days ahead of time, saying if you can bring a vehicle and can take others, or whether you are looking for a ride. | | On October 11, five keen birders traveled to the Sierra de Tapalpa. We saw 39 species including Crested Caracara, Common Raven, Brown-backed Solitaire, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Ruddy Duck, Berylline Hummingbird and Pygmy Nuthatch.
On October 19, a different group of five birders met to walk around La Cristina on the west side of Ajijic. This had recently been badly hit by mudslides coming from 1,500 feet high on the mountains. As a result we only saw 22 species including Social Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Canyon Towhee, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, White-winged Dove and Golden-fronted Woodpecker.
On October 27, six of us went around the Rosa Amarilla loop on the plateau above the south shore of the lake. With expert eyes and a camera we were able to identify 72 species - an unusually good list - including Black-chinned Hummingbird, Peregrine Falcon, Brewer's Blackbird, Ring-necked Duck, Spotted Wren, Black-vented Oriole, and Osprey. | | Here are the 131 species sighted around Lake Chapala in October:
Ani, groove-billed Blackbird, Brewer's (Ra) Blackbird, red-winged (Oc) Blackbird, yellow-headed Bunting, painted (Rp) Caracara, crested Chat, yellow-breasted (Rp) Coot, American Cormorant, neotropic Cowbird, bronzed Cowbird, brown-headed Cuckoo, squirrel (Sc) Dove, common ground (Ld) Dove, Eurasian collared Dove, Inca Dove, white-tipped Dove, white-winged Duck, black-bellied whistling (Xt) Duck, fulvous whistling (Rp) Duck, Mexican Duck, ring-necked (Ra) Duck, ruddy Egret, cattle Egret, great Egret, snowy Elaenia, greenish Euphonia, elegant (At) Falcon, peregrine (Ra) Finch, house Flycatcher, dusky Flycatcher, dusky-capped Flycatcher, gray silky (Ra) Flycatcher, social Flycatcher, vermilion Gallinule, common Gnatcatcher, blue-gray Goldfinch, lesser Grackle, great-tailed Grebe, least (Xt,Ra) Grebe, pied-billed (Xt,Ra) Grosbeak, blue Gull, laughing Gull, ring-billed Harrier, northern (Oc) Hawk, Cooper's (Ch) Hawk, red-tailed Hawk, sharp-shinned (Xt) Hawk, zone-tailed (Ch) Heron, black-crowned night Heron, great blue Heron, green Heron, tri-colored Hummingbird, berylline (Pt) Hummingbird, black-chinned Hummingbird, broad-billed Hummingbird, violet-crowned Hummingbird, white-eared (Rp) Ibis, white-faced Jacana, northern Kestrel, American Killdeer Kingbird, Cassin's Kingbird, thick-billed Kingbird, tropical Kingbird, western Kingfisher, belted (Ra) Kiskadee, great Kite, white-tailed (Ld) Meadowlark, eastern (Ra) Mockingbird, blue Mockingbird, northern Nighthawk, lesser (Ch) Oriole, black-backed Oriole, black-vented Oriole, Bullock's Oriole, hooded Oriole, orchard Oriole, streak-backed Osprey (Ra)(Ch) Owl, barn (Ch) Owl, ferruginous pygmy (Rp) Owl, great horned (Av)(Ch) Parakeet, monk Pelican, American white Pelican, brown (Rp) Pewee, greater Pewee, western wood Phoebe, Say's (Ra) Pigeon, rock Pintail, northern Raven, common Robin, rufous-backed Sandpiper, spotted Seedeater, cinnamon-rumped Shoveler, northern Shrike, loggerhead Sparrow, house Sparrow, lark Sparrow, Lincoln's (Ra) Sparrow, savannah Sparrow, stripe-headed Stork, wood (Xt) Swallow, barn Swallow, northern rough-winged Swallow, violet-green (Ch) Tanager, summer (Ch) Tanager, western Teal, blue-winged Thrasher, curve-billed Thrush, orange-billed nightingale Towhee, canyon Tyrannulet, northern beardless Vireo, plumbeous (Rp) Vireo, warbling (Ra) Vulture, black Vulture, turkey Warbler, black and white (Rp) Warbler, Nashville Warbler, rufous-capped (At) Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, yellow (Ch) Warbler, yellow-rumped Waterthrush, Louisiana (At) Woodpecker, gila (Xt) Woodpecker, golden-fronted Woodpecker, ladder-backed Wren, Bewick's Wren, canyon Wren, house (Xt) Wren, spotted Yellowthroat, common (Ch) | | 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 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 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 / Chupinaya 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.
Check our website: | | | | | | |
