Chapala Birders Newsletter, May 2, 2024 | | | Sightings last Month
There were 156 species reported for the lake area in April. The complete list is shown at the end of this newsletter.
Uncommon observations in April: - Nicola Cendron observed an American Golden Plover at Chapala, passing through to its Arctic breeding grounds. It winters in Latin America from the Caribean to Argentina. This is a first for the Lake Chapala area.
- Several birders have reported seeing a Brown Pelican between Jocotepec and Chapala. We see single vagrant birds of this species from time to time.
- John Keeling and Thom Bravo spotted an unusual Aztec Thrush on the Mezcala Mountain hike. This species is only seen at higher altitudes.
- Nicola saw a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher at the Auditorium (CCAR) in Ajijic. This bird comes to parts of Jalisco north west of here to breed every summer.
| | Featured Bird: Chihuahuan Meadowlark | | An adult Chihuahuan Meadowlark photo by Guadalajara birder Noe Muñoz-Padilla. The Mexican name for this bird imitates the call "Tortilla con Chile". | | - The Chihuahuan Meadowlark is the southernmost Meadowlark in North America,and is a resident in our area of western Mexico. Other species of Meadowlark are found from Canada to Brazil.
- Like the Western Meadowlark and Eastern Meadowlark it is found in prairie grasslands. We see it commonly on the Rosa Amarilla Loop and at Villa Corona.
- It has more white on the tail, and a different vocalization when compared with the other two species.
- The nest is a cup of grass stems on the ground. Incubation takes two weeks. Both parents feed the young until they fledge in two weeks, and for two more weeks after that.
| | Jalisco Leads in Attaching Transmitters to Hummingbirds | | | In January of this year, Hummingbird banding specialist Sarahy Contreras-Martinez of the University of Guadalajara, Autlan campus, conducted a workshop to develop methods of attaching newly available transmitting chips to hummingbirds.
Several of us from Ajijic who visited the Las Joyas research station in the Manantlan Biosphere Preserve in 2019 will remember watching Sarahy in awe as she taught students from South America how to band hummingbirds.
In 2023, a new lightweight solar-powered chip became available that would meet the weight requirements for use as a data transmitter on hummingbirds. The challenge is that our Hummingbirds range from 2gm to 25gm, and it is recommended that attachments should not exceed 10% of the body weight. Sarahy and David La Puma of Cellular Tracking Technologies assembled a group of specialists for this workshop. During the sessions they developed harnesses of various materials and observed how the birds reacted to each design while in a large cage. They also tested ways of gluing the chips to the feathers. By the end, a dozen birds had been released with transmitters. It is hoped to monitor their progress on the spring migration for the purpose of determining which attachment designs will last the longest.
The next step will be to deploy transmitters with the new harnesses for the ultimate purpose which is to collect data on the migratory routes and migratory issues of the 14 hummingbird species that pass through our region. | | 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 May 6, we will meet at 8.00 am at Puerta Nueva on the west side of Ajijic. We will see some shore birds and birds in the tall trees along the street. At about 10.00 am we will head to Fonda Doña Lola Restaurant for breakfast and complete the bird list. How to Get There: Drive about one mile (3km) west from Colon, past the French Bakery and the Cemetery; then take the next left exit signed 'Villa Lucerna'; after one block the road 'jogs' so you turn left and quickly right. Then park immediately, close to the tree, not far from the sign Puerta Nueva. From here we will all walk slowly down to the lake.
On Friday May 24, 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 Sierra de Tapalpa (90 minutes away). We will bird from 9.30 till 12.30. We expect to see higher altitude birds such as Acorn Woodpecker and Slate-throated Redstart and if we are lucky Trans-volcanic Jay. Bring your own refreshments for the morning. At 1.00 pm we will end up in Tapalpa to have lunch at a restaurant overlooking the square. Expect to be back about 4.00 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 April 12, we had three full cars of birders going up the Mezcala Mountain. We spotted Green-tailed Towhee, Hermit Warbler, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Orange-billed Nightingale Thrush and a rare Aztec Thrush, for a total of 37 species.
On April 18, there were 12 observers admiring Orioles and Hummingbirds on our El Bajio bird walk. We saw 53 species including Black-backed Oriole, Black-vented Oriole, Squirrel Cuckoo, Tricolored Heron, Warbling Vireo and Cliff Swallows collecting wet mud for their nests currently under construction.
On April 29, we drove to Villa Corona with 12 keen birders. We were disappointed to find that the Lake (Lake Atotonilco) is almost dried up. Like all our lakes and dams locally, it is a shallow mud lake and we have suffered from very dry summers in the last two years. We identified 29 species including immature Gray Hawk, Red-winged Blackbird, Northern Jacana and Chihuahuan Meadowlark. | | | Here are the 156 species observed around Lake Chapala in April:
Ani, groove-billed Avocet, American Becard, rose-throated Blackbird, red-winged Blackbird, yellow-headed Bunting, indigo Bunting, lazuli (Jo) Bunting, varied Bushtit Caracara, crested Chat, yellow-breasted Coot, American Cormorant, neotropic Cowbird, bronzed Cowbird, brown-headed Cuckoo, squirrel Dove, Eurasian collared Dove, Inca Dove, white-tipped Dove, white-winged Dowitcher, long-billed Duck, Mexican Egret, great Egret, snowy Egret, western cattle Elaenia, greenish Euphonia, elegant Finch, house Flycatcher, ash-throated Flycatcher, brown-crested Flycatcher, dusky Flycatcher, dusky-capped Flycatcher, gray Flycatcher, gray silky Flycatcher, Hammond's Flycatcher, social Flycatcher, sulphur-bellied (Av) Flycatcher, vermilion Flycatcher, western Gadwall Gallinule, common Goldfinch, lesser Grackle, great-tailed Grebe, pied-billed Grosbeak, black-headed Grosbeak, blue Gull, herring Gull, laughing Gull, ring-billed Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, red-tailed Heron, black-crowned night Heron, great blue Heron, little blue Heron, tri-colored Hummingbird, berylline Hummingbird, black-chinned Hummingbird, broad-billed Hummingbird, violet-crowned Ibis, white-faced Jacana, northern Killdeer Kingbird, Cassin's Kingbird, thick-billed Kingbird, tropical Kingbird, western Kinglet, ruby-crowned Kiskadee, great Meadowlark, Chihuahuan 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 Owl, ferruginous pygmy Parakeet, monk Pelican, American white Pelican, brown Pewee, greater Phalarope, Wilson's Pigeon, rock Pipit, American Plover, American golden Plover, black-bellied Plover, semipalmated Redstart, American Robin, rufous-backed Sandpiper, least Sandpiper, pectoral Sandpiper, spotted Sandpiper, stilt Sandpiper, western Seedeater, cinnamon-rumped Shoveler, northern Sparrow, chipping Sparrow, clay-colored (Mz) Sparrow, house Sparrow, lark Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, rufous-crowned (Mz) Sparrow, rusty-crowned ground (Mz) Sparrow, savannah Sparrow, stripe-headed Stilt, black-necked Swallow, barn Swallow, cliff Swallow, northern rough-winged Tanager, hepatic (Mz) Tanager, western Teal, blue-winged Teal, cinnamon Teal, green-winged Tern, Caspian Tern, Forster's Thrasher, curve-billed Thrush, Aztec Thrush, orange-billed nightingale Towhee, canyon Towhee, green-tailed (Mz) Tyrannulet, northern beardless Vireo, plumbeous Vireo, warbling Vulture, black Vulture, turkey Warbler, black and white Warbler, black-throated gray Warbler, Colima Warbler, hermit (Mz) Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Nashville Warbler, orange-crowned Warbler, rufous-capped Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Virginia's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, yellow Warbler, yellow-rumped Wigeon, American Willet Woodpecker, golden-fronted Woodpecker, ladder-backed Wren, Bewick's Wren, canyon Wren, happy Wren, house Wren, marsh Wren, spotted Yellowlegs, greater Yellowlegs, lesser 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 Cs - Chapala Haciendas & Las Brisas 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 on bird walks.
We like to hear of bird sightings at: chapalabirders@yahoo.com.
Check our website: ChapalaBirders.org There you will find our newsletters, illustrations of our birds and advice on buying binoculars, books and birding apps. | | |
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