Chapala Birders Newsletter, July 2, 2023 | | Sightings this Month
There were 108 species reported for the lake area in June. The complete list is shown at the end of this newsletter. Interesting sightings included:
- A Golden-crowned Emerald was seen in Riberas del Pilar by Carl and Kate Anderson. This is a new species for Lake Chapala. (See the article below about this species.)
- A Rivoli's Hummingbird was reported at a feeder by Jeff Morrow in the Racquet Club.
- Several people have reported seeing Sparkling-tailed Hummingbirds. This species visits lake Chapala only in May and June for one breeding cycle.
- Cage Escapes: Carl and Kate photographed a San Blas Jay. We believe this is an escape. Also, more people are reporting sightings of African Love Birds in Ajijic and Chapala.
| | Featured Bird: Golden-crowned Emerald | | An adult male Golden-crowned Hummingbird photographed by Jalisco birder Antonio Robles. Note the long V-shaped tail. While the male is distinctive, the female is similar to a very small female Broad-billed Hummingbird, but with short,straight tail. | | - The Golden-crowned Emerald is endemic to Mexico and is a new species for the Lake Chapala area.
- It is very small. It occurs on the Pacific slope from Oaxaca to Sinaloa, and Lake Chapala is on the edge of its normal range.
- It prefers scrub and woodland with flower banks in arid and semi-humid areas. It is a trap-line feeder, maintaining a circuit of flowers from which it collects the nectar which it feeds on.
- It breeds from February to July, creating a small cup-shaped nest with wood pieces, grass and lichens held together with kapok fibers located near the tip of a low branch.
- As with all hummingbirds, the male takes no part in nest building or incubating.The two eggs hatch after two weeks incubation, and the chicks fledge after another three weeks.
| | 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 Tuesday July 11, 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 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 Thursday July 27, 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 June 9, we had seven birders out on the Two Dams Road which connects Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos and San Nicolas de Ibarra. We managed to observe 44 species including Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Elegant Euphonia, Rose-throated Becard, Northern Bobwhite, Rusty-crowned ground Sparrow and Groove-billed Ani.
On June 20, we went to La Cristina on the west side of Ajijic. The birds were in short supply - we saw only 22 species, which includi White-winged Dove, Black-crowned Night Heron, Rufous-backed Robin, Monk Parakeet and Cinnamon-rumped Seedeater. | | Here are the 108 species sighted around Lake Chapala in June:
Ani, groove-billed Avocet, American (Rp) Becard, rose-throated (Ps) Bittern, least Bobwhite, northern (Ps) Bunting, varied Bushtit Caracara, crested Chat, yellow-breasted Coot, American Cormorant, neotropic Cowbird, bronzed Cowbird, brown-headed Cuckoo, squirrel Dove, common ground Dove, Eurasian collared Dove, Inca Dove, white-tipped Dove, white-winged Duck, black-bellied whistling (Ca) Duck, fulvous whistling (Ps) Duck, Mexican Egret, cattle Egret, great Egret, snowy Elaenia, greenish Emerald, golden-crowned (Rp) Euphonia, elegant Finch, house Flycatcher, ash-throated Flycatcher, brown-crested Flycatcher, cordilleran Flycatcher, dusky-capped Flycatcher, Nutting's Flycatcher, social Flycatcher, vermilion Gallinule, common Gallinule, purple (Ps) Goldfinch, lesser Grackle, great-tailed Grebe, least Grebe, pied-billed Grosbeak, black-headed Grosbeak, blue Gull, ring-billed Hawk, red-tailed Hawk, sharp-shinned Heron, black-crowned night Heron, great blue Heron, green Heron, tri-colored Hummingbird, berylline Hummingbird, broad-billed Hummingbird, cinnamon Hummingbird, Rivoli's (Sc) Hummingbird, sparkling-tailed Hummingbird, violet-crowned Jacana, northern Killdeer Kingbird, Cassin's Kingbird, thick-billed Kingbird, tropical Kiskadee, great Kite, white-tailed Mockingbird, blue Motmot, russet-crowned (Sc) Nightjar, buff-collared Oriole, black-backed Oriole, black-vented Oriole, streak-backed Owl, ferruginous pygmy Owl, great horned (Av) Parakeet, monk Pelican, American white Pelican, brown (Av) Pewee, greater Pewee, western wood (Av) Pigeon, rock Raven, common Robin, American Robin, rufous-backed Seedeater, cinnamon-rumped Solitaire, brown-backed Sparrow, house Sparrow, rufous-crowned Sparrow, rusty-crowned ground (Ps) Sparrow, stripe-headed Stilt, black-necked Swallow, barn Swallow, cliff Swallow, northern rough-winged Tanager, hepatic Thrasher, curve-billed Thrush, orange-billed nightingale Thrush, white-throated Towhee, canyon Tyrannulet, northern beardless Vireo, plumbeous Vulture, black Vulture, turkey Warbler, rufous-capped Woodpecker, golden-fronted Woodpecker, ladder-backed Wren, Bewick's Wren, canyon Wren, happy Wren, Sinaloa Wren, spotted | | 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. | | | | | | |
