Chapala Birders Newsletter, May 2, 2023 | | Sightings this Month
There were 148 species reported for the lake area in April. The complete list is shown at the end of this newsletter. Interesting sightings included:
- Black-bellied Plover on migration sighted by Nicola Cendron at the Pumping Station.
- Hermit Thrush seen by Lizzy Martinez at San Juan Cosala.
- Warbling vireo observed by Cheshta Buckley at El Bajio.
- Great Horned Owl heard by Laura Dangerfield in Chapala Haciendas.
- Semi-palmated Plover reported by Carlo Cuevas at the Jocotepec malecon.
- Mexican Whip-poor-will heard by Nicola Cendron on the Caracol Trail.
| | Featured Bird: Russet-crowned Motmot | | An adult Russett-crowned Motmot. Note the racquet-shaped tail, which it waves from side to side when agitated, and the heavy bill designed to crunch big beetles and to dig a 1.5 meter long nesting tunnel in the soil. | | - The Russet-crowned Motmot is found principally in Western Mexico with a separate isolated population in Guatemala.
- Occurring in dry forests with canopy coverage, the bird sits and waits for long periods in a tree, before darting out to catch an insect. It eats locusts, lizards and small fruit.
- The nesting burrow needs to be made on the side of a hill in soil that will not collapse. Motmots will return each year to their own reliable nesting site. Iguanas are major predators, entering the burrow to eat eggs or chicks.
- At Vista del Lago we have seen a motmot fly and disappear into a retaining wall. They use the 5-inch plastic drainage pipes placed in these walls as nesting locations.
- They are year-round residents; monogamous; with male and female sharing the nesting and feeding chores.
| | 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, we suggest you make a contribution to your driver for gas and tolls (perhaps $150 pesos for a half day outing, $300 pesos for a day trip).
On Thursday May 11, we will meet at the Riberas del Pilar Marsh at 8.15 am. Expect to see a variety of lake, dry scrub and garden birds. At about 10.00 am we will head to Cafe Negro in San Antonio for breakfast and review the bird list. How to get there: From Ajijic take the carretera to Riberas; when you see the first OXXO on the left, turn down to the lake on 'San Mateo" and park close to the lake. (if you get to the Catholic Church, you have gone one block too far.)
On Tuesday May 23, we will meet at 8.00 am at the "Sculpture" (at the only traffic light in La Floresta, south-east corner, near Restaurant Pranzo), leaving immediately for the Rosa Amarilla Loop (60 minutes drive). Expect to see a variety of grassland birds and possibly a White-tailed Hawk. Bring refreshments for the morning and sandwiches for the 12.30 lunch stop. We will be back about 3.30 pm. E-mail John at chapalabirders@yahoo.com at least 2 days ahead indicating if you can bring a vehicle and can take others, or you would like to be a passenger. | | On April 11, we had thirteen keen birders out on the Two Dams Road. We managed to obtain a good list of 64 species including Rose-throated Becard, Ruddy Duck, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Wilson's Phalarope, Sharp-shinned Hawk and Gray Hawk.
On April 21, we had twelve people on a pleasantly cool morning at Puerta Nueva on the west side of Ajijic. We saw Squirrel Cuckoo, Blue Mockingbird, Black-backed Oriole, Bullock's Oriole, Berylline Hummingbird, Yellow Warbler and Black-headed Grosbeak out of a total of 43 species. | | Here are the 148 species sighted around Lake Chapala in April:
Ani, groove-billed Avocet, American Bittern, least Blackbird, red-winged Blackbird, yellow-headed Bunting, indigo (Jo,Av) Bunting, lazuli Bunting, painted (Rp) Bunting, varied Bushtit Caracara, crested Coot, American Cormorant, neotropic Cowbird, bronzed Cowbird, brown-headed Cuckoo, squirrel (Ac) Dove, common ground (Ra) Dove, Eurasian collared Dove, Inca Dove, mourning (Ch) Dove, white-tipped Dove, white-winged Dowitcher, long-billed Duck, fulvous whistling (Rp) Duck, Mexican Duck, ruddy Egret, cattle Egret, great Egret, snowy Flycatcher, cordilleran Flycatcher, dusky Flycatcher, dusky-capped Flycatcher, gray (Av) Flycatcher, gray silky Flycatcher, least Flycatcher, social Flycatcher, vermilion Gadwall Gallinule, common Gnatcatcher, blue-gray Goldfinch, lesser Grackle, great-tailed Grebe, least Grebe, pied-billed Grosbeak, black-headed Grosbeak, blue Gull, laughing Gull, ring-billed Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, gray Hawk, red-tailed Hawk, sharp-shinned Hawk, short-tailed Heron, black-crowned night Heron, great blue Heron, green Heron, tri-colored Hummingbird, berylline Hummingbird, black-chinned Hummingbird, broad-billed Hummingbird, Rivoli's Hummingbird, violet-crowned Hummingbird, white-eared Ibis, white-faced Jacana, northern Killdeer Kingbird, Cassin's Kingbird, thick-billed (Av) Kingbird, tropical Kiskadee, great Mockingbird, blue Mockingbird, northern Motmot, russet-crowned Nighthawk, lesser Nightjar, buff-collared Oriole, black-backed Oriole, black-vented Oriole, Bullock's Oriole, hooded Oriole, orchard Oriole, streak-backed Osprey (Rp) Owl, ferruginous pygmy (Rp) Owl, great horned (Ch) Parakeet, monk Pelican, American white Pelican, brown Pewee, western wood Phalarope, Wilson's (Ps) Pigeon, rock Pipit, American Plover, black-bellied (Ps) Plover, semipalmated (Jo) Raven, common Redstart, American (Ps) Roadrunner, lesser (Ra) Robin, rufous-backed Sandpiper, least Sandpiper, spotted Sandpiper, stilt (Ps) Seedeater, cinnamon-rumped Shoveler, northern Shrike, loggerhead Sora Sparrow, chipping Sparrow, house Sparrow, lark Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, rusty-crowned ground Sparrow, savannah Sparrow, stripe-headed Stilt, black-necked Stork, wood Swallow, barn Swallow, cliff Swallow, northern rough-winged Tanager, western Teal, blue-winged Teal, green-winged Tern, Caspian Tern, Forster's Thrasher, curve-billed Thrush, hermit (Sc) Towhee, canyon Tyrannulet, northern beardless Vireo, plumbeous Vireo, warbling (Ac) Vulture, black Vulture, turkey Warbler, MacGillivray's (Sc) Warbler, Nashville Warbler, orange-crowned Warbler, rufous-capped Warbler, Virginia's (Sc) Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, yellow Warbler, yellow-rumped Waterthrush, northern (Rp) Whip-poor-will, Mexican (Ca) Wigeon, American Woodpecker, golden-fronted Wren, Bewick's Wren, canyon Wren, happy Wren, house Wren, marsh (Rp) Wren, spotted Yellowthroat, common | | 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 Cu - Chapala Haciendas & UofG 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 Mz - Mezcala 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 - Potrerillos & Las Trojes & Chupinaya Tu - Tuxcueca & San Luis Soyatlan Xt - Ixtlahuacan & Las Campanillas
What is the "Lake Chapala Area"? We define it as the whole area of the lake plus all land within 15km (or 7 miles) of the edge of the lake. | | | Lake Chapala Birders is an informal group of bird observers led by John and Rosemary Keeling.
Illustrated color folders showing our common birds are once again 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.
There you will find our newsletters, illustrations of our birds and advice on buying binoculars, books and birding apps. | | | | | | |
