Some of my friends steadfastly refuse to go birding with me. Uggh…they say, “We are NOT into hiking, and we don’t like nature or wilderness.” Although this aversion seems strange to me, there is no requirement that one must be a wilderness hiker in order to be a birdwatcher. Proof of this is the easily obtained bird list one can get while taking a morning stroll in La Floresta in Ajijic. Or if you prefer, from the comfort of your terrace…wherever you may live at Lakeside. The Lake Chapala area is home to a wide variety of species…and the interested observer will have many opportunities to experience Mexican avian life. All it really takes is the ability to listen and look.
The usual early bird at my house in La Floresta is the Violet-crowned Hummingbird, whose repetitive pinging sound I hear each morning. This call beckons me to find the bird during the early morning darkness, even before I can catch a glimpse of this fierce terrier of the hummingbird family. But in daylight, this is a hummingbird everyone can easily see: it is prolific, it is here year round (being a western Mexican endemic), and is very simple to identify: it is the only hummingbird with a creamy white breast that we have. The trick is to get a glimpse of the iridescent purple crown of its head…they don’t stay still for long, so look quick!
The Great Kiskadee is another winner in our neighborhood. He obligingly shrieks his raucous call before landing in our yard, alerting us to his presence. KISS KA DEE!!!! His presence, I might add, is hard to miss. He is a large and stout fellow, with a bright yellow chest and belly, brown back and rump, with a white forehead, chin and throat divided by a black crown and eye line.
The friendly Vermilion Flycatcher is usually perched on a telephone wire outside our house, with its fiery red under parts and head, shining like a beacon, accented by a dark eye line and blackish back. Its call is piercing a metallic TZINK, and its song is even more distinctive with a tinkling, joyous PIT A SEE as he flies aloft.
The Canyon Wren calls forth from the walls surrounding our property, gushing forth a liquid cascade of sound. Like all wrens, he is plump and energetic, and will cock his tail up over his back. He skitters furtively in to crevices although he is handsome to behold, with a warm reddish back and belly, offset by a white breast and throat.
Often when I fling open the doors of our cochera, I scatter a flock of Inca doves. These slight non descript birds, who might appear to some like underdeveloped pigeons, have a rufous flash in their wings when they are flying, and have red eyes. My friend Bob describes their call as WHIRLPOOL.
Of late, when I look to the mountains above Upper La Floresta, I might be treated to the sight of Turkey Vultures tilting in the sky above. Big black birds, with small red heads, they are searching for carrion below. And now, family groups of American White Pelicans are back, and they too soar against the mountainsides, until they eventually drop down to the waters of Lake Chapala.
So all it takes is to be a bird watcher is an awareness and appreciation of one´s surroundings, wherever one might be. No hiking, no tramping, no wilderness camping is required. A pair of binoculars helps, but is not mandatory. The only true requirement is curiosity and a sense of wonder at the beauty of nature. Enjoy
