Newsletter

Chapala Birders Newsletter, July 2, 2024 Sightings last Month There were 116 species reported for the lake area in June. The complete list is shown at the end of this newsletter. Uncommon observations in June: Various people, including the morning kayakers, have been seeing several Brown Pelicans on the islands in front of San Antonio Tlayacapan. Tom Bravo observed Hook-billed Kite passing over our Hawk Watch Site at the top of Mexcala Mountain. Carl and Kate Anderson photographed a Pine Flycatcher on the Chupinaya Trail above Las Trojes. New Bird Bird Book Planned Lake Chapala Birders has formed an editing team to create a new Field Guide to the "Birds of Central Jalisco, Guadalajara & Lake Chapala". It will be different from other bird books for the area, having three times as many species (350 species instead of 120) and having the descriptions in both Spanish and English (instead of just in Spanish.) It will be published next February with a price of $400 pesos. Featured Bird: Brown-throated Wren This photo shows the buff supercilium, cinnamon throat and barred flanks of a Brown-throated Wren. The Brown-throated Wren is a year-round resident found in higher altitude pine-oak woods in Mexico and southern Arizona. It is characterized by the presence of a buff colored supercilium, a cinnamon throat and barred flanks. We see this wren regularly when we visit Concepcion de Buenos Aires on the south side of the lake where it is 1,500 feet higher than Lake Chapala. Other House Wren sub-species are migratory in North America and non-migratory in South America. Like all wrens it is shy, eats insects of all types and builds an untidy nest typically in a cavity. 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 July 11, 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 Monday July 22, 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, you must email John at chapalabirders@yahoo.com at least 2 days ahead indicating if you can bring a vehicle and can take passengers, or you would like to be a passenger. High-clearance, all wheel drive vehicles with off-road tires are recommended for the ascent. Bird Walk & Trip Reports On June 14 we met at La Cristina on the west side of Ajijic with ten birders. Our list included Cliff Swallow collecting mud for nest building, Rusty-crowned Ground Sparrow, Forster's Tern, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Black-necked Stilt and Tricolored Heron out of a total of 38 species. On Jule 24 we had four people out to drive round the Rosa Amarilla Loop on the plateau on the south side of the lake. We observed 48 species including Stripe-headed Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Chihuahuan Meadowlark, Boteri's Sparrow, Yellow-breasted Chat, Wood Stork and American Kestrel. Monthly Sightings List Here are the 116 species observed around Lake Chapala in June: Ani, groove-billed Avocet, American (Sa) Becard, rose-throated (Rp) Bittern, least Blackbird, red-winged Bobwhite, northern Bushtit Caracara, crested Chat, yellow-breasted Coot, American Cormorant, neotropic Cowbird, bronzed Cuckoo, squirrel Dove, Eurasian collared Dove, Inca Dove, mourning Dove, white-tipped Dove, white-winged Duck, black-bellied whistling (Sa) Duck, fulvous whistling (Ch) Duck, Mexican Duck, ruddy Egret, great Egret, snowy Egret, western cattle Elaenia, greenish Euphonia, elegant Finch, house Flycatcher, brown-crested (Tr) Flycatcher, dusky-capped Flycatcher, gray silky (Sa) Flycatcher, Nutting's Flycatcher, pine (Tr) Flycatcher, social Gallinule, common Goldfinch, lesser Grackle, great-tailed Grosbeak, black-headed Grosbeak, blue Gull, laughing Gull, ring-billed Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, red-tailed Hawk, white-tailed Heron, black-crowned night Heron, great blue Heron, green Heron, tri-colored Hummingbird, berylline Hummingbird, broad-billed Hummingbird, violet-crowned Hummingbird, white-eared Ibis, white-faced Jacana, northern Killdeer Kingbird, Cassin's Kingbird, thick-billed Kingbird, tropical Kiskadee, great Kite, hook-billed (Mz) Kite, white-tailed (Ps) Meadowlark, Chihuahuan Mockingbird, blue Mockingbird, northern Motmot, russet-crowned Nightjar, buff-collared (Av) Oriole, black-backed Oriole, black-vented Oriole, streak-backed Owl, ferruginous pygmy (Sa) Parakeet, monk parrow, rusty-crowned ground Pelican, American white Pelican, brown (Sa) Pewee, greater Pewee, western wood Pigeon, rock (Dove/Feral) Raven, common Robin, American (Cv) Robin, rufous-backed Seedeater, cinnamon-rumped Shrike, loggerhead Solitaire, brown-backed (Cv) Sparrow, Botteri's (Ra) Sparrow, house Sparrow, rusty-crowned ground (Rp) Sparrow, stripe-headed Stilt, black-necked Stork, wood (Ra) Swallow, barn Swallow, cliff (Ra) Swallow, northern rough-winged Tanager, flame-colored (Cv) Tanager, hepatic Tern, Caspian Tern, Forster's Thrasher, curve-billed Thrush, orange-billed nightingale Towhee, canyon Towhee, spotted (Cv) Tyrannulet, northern beardless Vireo, golden Vulture, black Vulture, turkey Warbler, rufous-capped Warbler, yellow Woodpecker, golden-fronted Woodpecker, ladder-backed Wren, Bewick's Wren, canyon Wren, happy Wren, house Wren, Sinaloa Wren, spotted 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 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 - 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) from 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 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.