Chapala Birders Newsletter, January 2, 2024 |
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| Sightings last Month
There were 198 species reported for the lake area in December. The complete list is shown at the end of this newsletter.
Unusual observations in December:
- Black-bellied Plover was seen by Thom Bravo at Cristiania Park in Chapala.
- Red-breasted Merganser was photographed by Bob Forgie at the San Juan Cosala malecon.
- Burrowing Owl was spotted by John Keeling at the Dike at the east end of the Lake.This is a new species for Lake Chapala. (See the article below.)
- Herring Gull was reported by Jules Evens at the San Juan Cosala malecon.
| | Featured Bird: Burrowing Owl | | An adult Burrowing Owl photographed by Nayarit birder Antonio Robles. This is a tiny bird that is not a good flier, but is happy to run fast to catch grasshoppers or lizards. As with other owls, prime hunting time is at dawn and dusk, but Burrowing Owls spend more time awake during the day than other owls. | | - Burrowing Owls are found from Canada to the tip of South America. Most are non-migratory, except those in the north.
- They like short grass prairies and deserts,and equivalent places such as abandoned airfields.
- They roost and nest in burrows made by other animals like prairie dogs and badgers.
- The female lays about nine eggs in the burrow and sits them for four weeks, with food being delivered by the male. The chicks will fly four weeks after hatching.
- Their food is predominantly insects including beetles and crickets, but lizards, mice and small birds are eaten when the opportunity is presented.
- North American populations are in serious decline due to habitat loss from farming and human development. Local populations are increasing in Brasil where rain forests are being cut down.
| | | Christmas Bird Count Report
The Christmas Bird Count for the Ajijic area yielded 160 species and for the Jamay/La Palma Dike area 112 species, both higher counts than in previous years, which we attribute to increased birding expertise on the part of our volunteer teams.
As usual the Caracol mountain trail team added 15 higher altitude species not seen at the lake level. These included Brown-backed Solitaire, Flame-colored Tanager, Acorn Woodpecker, Black-chinned Hummingbird and Red-faced Warbler.
Looking at the data of the 15 years of our Christmas Bird Counts, we see such great variability in numbers from year to year that we cannot easily identify any real trends in the size of the local bird populations. | | 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 Monday January 8, we will meet at 8.00 am at the Sculpture (at the only traffic light in La Floresta, south-east corner, opposite Restaurant Pranzo) leaving immediately for the Mezcala Mountain (40 minutes drive). We will park and then walk the one-mile (1.5 km) trail at the top. After a snack break at 11.00 we will return to Ajijic for 12.30. Other pick-up points can be arranged between Ajijic and Mezcala. If you plan on going, please email John at chapalabirders@yahoo.com at least 2 days ahead indicating if you have a vehicle and if you can take passengers. High-clearance vehicles are recommended for the ascent on this trip.
On Thursday January 18, we will meet at 8.00 am at the "Sculpture" (at the only traffic light in La Floresta, (south-east corner), 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. You must reserve - email 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. (We don't always have enough cars).
On Friday January 26, we will meet at 8.00 am at the trail head to hike a mile up the Allen Lloyd Trail which has lots of underbrush in which birds love to hide. Expect to see Blue Mockingbird and hear the Happy Wren. At about 10.00 we will head to Cafe Negro restaurant for breakfast and complete the bird list. How to get to the trail head: Drive up the Libramiento a half mile (1km) from the traffic light at Walmart, then turn left (carefully) as you would for the new hospital (Ribera Medical Center), double back and drive up the left side of the hospital, keep going uphill another half mile, and park on the only street to your left. | | | On December 8 we had 17 birders out for a bird walk at Puerta Nueva on the west side of Ajijic. We managed to record 49 species along the street and at the lake, including Bullock's Oriole, Black-backed Oriole, Blue Mockingbird, Orange-billed Nightingale Thrush, Loggerhead Shrike and 20 Monk Parakeet.
On December 28 we traveled to Villa Corona on Laguna Atonilco located at the north end of the Colima Rift Valley where we have come to expect Roseate Spoonbills. We identified Gray Hawk, Great Kiskadee, Chihuahuan Meadowlark, Wilson's Snipe, Woodstork and an unusual Brown Pelican in addition to the Spoonbills. Total species count was 56. | | | Here are the 198 species sighted around Lake Chapala in December:
Ani, groove-billed Avocet, American Blackbird, red-winged (Ch) Blackbird, yellow-headed Bunting, indigo Bunting, lazuli Bunting, painted Bunting, varied Bushtit Canvasback Caracara, crested Chat, yellow-breasted (Dp,Sa) Coot, American Cormorant, neotropic Cowbird, bronzed Cowbird, brown-headed Cuckoo, squirrel Dove, common ground Dove, Eurasian collared Dove, Inca Dove, mourning Dove, white-tipped Dove, white-winged Dowitcher, long-billed Duck, Mexican Duck, ring-necked Duck, ruddy Egret, great Egret, snowy Egret, western cattle Elaenia, greenish Finch, house Flycatcher, ash-throated Flycatcher, brown-crested (Ch) Flycatcher, dusky (Sa) Flycatcher, dusky-capped Flycatcher, gray silky Flycatcher, Hammond's Flycatcher, least Flycatcher, social Flycatcher, tufted (Ch Flycatcher, vermilion Flycatcher, western Gadwall Gallinule, common Gnatcatcher, blue-gray Goldfinch, lesser Grackle, great-tailed Grebe, Clark's Grebe, eared Grebe, least Grebe, pied-billed Grosbeak, black-headed Grosbeak, blue Gull, herring (Ch) Gull, laughing Gull, ring-billed Harrier, northern Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, gray Hawk, red-tailed Hawk, sharp-shinned Hawk, Swainson's (Ch) Hawk, white-tailed (Jo) Hawk, zone-tailed Heron, black-crowned night Heron, great blue (Ch0 Heron, green Heron, little blue Heron, tri-colored Hummingbird, berylline Hummingbird, black-chinned (Ch) Hummingbird, broad-billed Hummingbird, rufous (Ch) Hummingbird, violet-crowned Hummingbird, white-eared (Ch0 Ibis, white-faced Jacana, northern Kestrel, American Killdeer Kingbird, Cassin's Kingbird, thick-billed Kingbird, tropical Kingbird, western Kingfisher, belted Kingfisher, green Kinglet, ruby-crowned Kiskadee, great Kite, white-tailed Merganser, red-breasted (Sc,Av) Mockingbird, blue Mockingbird, northern Nightjar, buff-collared (Sa) Oriole, black-backed Oriole, black-vented Oriole, Bullock's Oriole, hooded Oriole, orchard Oriole, streak-backed Osprey (Ch) Owl, barn (Sa) Owl, burrowing (Dp) Owl, ferruginous pygmy (Sa) Owl, great horned Owl, spotted Parakeet, monk Pelican, American white Pewee, greater Phalarope, Wilson's Phoebe, black Phoebe, Say's Pigeon, rock Pintail, northern Pipit, American (Ps,Ch) Plover, black-bellied (Ch) Plover, semipalmated Rail, Aztec Raven, common Redstart, American (Dm,Ch) Robin, rufous-backed Sandpiper, least Sandpiper, solitary (Ch) Sandpiper, spotted Sandpiper, stilt (Ch) Sandpiper, western (Sc) Scaup, lesser Seedeater, cinnamon-rumped Shoveler, northern Shrike, loggerhead Snipe, Wilson's Solitaire, brown-backed (Ca) Sora Sparrow, chipping Sparrow, clay-colored Sparrow, house Sparrow, lark Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, rusty-crowned ground Sparrow, savannah Sparrow, stripe-headed Starthroat, plain-capped (Av) Stilt, black-necked Swallow, bank (Ps) Swallow, barn Swallow, northern rough-winged Swallow, tree Swallow, violet-green Tanager, flame-colored Tanager, summer Tanager, western Teal, blue-winged Teal, cinnamon Teal, green-winged Tern, Caspian Tern, Forster's Thrasher, curve-billed Thrush, hermit Thrush, orange-billed nightingale Towhee, canyon Towhee, green-tailed Tyrannulet, northern beardless Vireo, Cassin's Vireo, golden Vireo, Hutton's Vireo, plumbeous Vireo, warbling Vulture, black Vulture, turkey Warbler, black and white Warbler, black-throated gray Warbler, hermit Ca) Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Nashville Warbler, orange-crowned Warbler, red-faced (Ca0 Warbler, rufous-capped Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Virginia's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, yellow Warbler, yellow-rumped Wigeon, American Willet (Sc) Woodpecker, acorn Woodpecker, golden-fronted Woodpecker, ladder-backed Wren, Bewick's Wren, canyon Wren, happy Wren, house Wren, marsh Wren, Sinaloa (Ch) Wren, spotted Yellowlegs, greater Yellowlegs, lesser Yellowthroat, common Yellowthroat, gray-crowned (Sa) | |  | | 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 Pz - San Pedro Itzican/Poncitlan 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 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. | | |
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