When the Lake Chapala Birders recently compiled the members’ statistics from their February bird watching expeditions, the tally revealed that the group had collectively spotted and recorded 153 species. 

The normal range for the Mexican Parrotlet is near the Pacific coast, but Don Bell reported four flying along the shoreline in West Ajijic. Birders are now 

wondering if they have escaped from their lakeside home. There could be a small feral colony of earlier escapees now breeding here. Members of the group have seen them in the wild in the 1,000-foot-deep canyons near Guadalajara.

When local birders hiked at Las Trojes, they saw the red-faced warblers in the same area that they had been seen during two previous winters. The painted restart which has been previously recorded above Las Trojes during the spring and fall migrations was also seen on that excursion. 

John and Rosemary Keeling, hosts of the Chapala birders, spotted both American Bittern and Least Bittern at the marsh at Lake Cajititlan. The reed beds there are now extensive and are providing good nesting for marsh birds. 

For more information about Lake Chapala Birders and their frequent birding walks, contact John and Rosemary Keeling by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">.

Chapala area traffic police warn local motorists to be on the alert and exercise extra precautions while driving during the hectic Easter vacation period.

Eduardo Miranda Moreno, recently assigned to take charge at lakeside headquarters of the Secretaria de Movilidad, announced that traffic police will beef up patrols over the next two weeks to help keep holiday season travelers from speeding and engaging in reckless driving that may cause highway accidents. 

The Chapala office will suspend regular administrative services from April 2 through 13. 

Congratulations to Graciela Estrada Mudejano, who received a warm embrace from Chapala First Lady Marisela Navarro Rodriguez after capturing the crown as Chapala’s 2015 Reina de la Tercera Edad at the senior ladies pageant held Wednesday, March 18 at DIF headquarters. 

Each of the competitors, representing a different town within the municipality, presented herself in long dress and heels on the DIF stage to speak for three minutes about the role of senior woman in Mexican society, as well as a pivotal experience that changed their lives for the better.

An accomplished athlete who has trained to become an award-winning long distance runner during the 15 years she has lived at lakeside, Estrada impressed the judges’ panel with her glowing poise and eloquence in speaking on the role of older women. “We have to remain active and show our inner strength ... We should be guiding lights for future generations who lack the experience we have,“ she remarked in the question-and-answer segment of the event.

Estrada will be competing again, this time representing Chapala for the regional crown in the next competition. The date and location of that event has not yet been announced. 

Although many people may believe that the worst part of the HIV/AIDS era is in the past, one brave young man has provided a timely reminder of the need for youth education regarding the disease.

Ruben Barba Aguirre recounted his personal story at a recent Ajijic Cares fundraiser. 

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“I started my sexual life when I was 15 years old. I didn’t know how to use a condom and I didn’t worry about STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases).  When they mentioned AIDS, I thought, like so many other young people, that it was for older people.”

Barba only discovered that he was HIV positive after taking a routine test.

“Then comes the moment when you tell your parents,” he said. “When I told my mother, it was something simple like, ‘Remember when I went to take the HIV test? Well it came out positive.’ I didn’t know if it came from nerves or my being misinformed, but it sounded sort of like an anecdote. So, of course, my mother thought it was a joke until she realized it was true. And she cried as she had never before. My father was a totally different story – his prejudices and his stereotypes being apparent.”

Later, while surfing the web,  Barba came across an ad from the Guadalajara group VIHAS DE VIDA, inviting young people to participate in promoting awareness about HIV/AIDS.

“I learned all about the virus and many other things that have been a very important part of my personal growth. Now, I have become part of the answer to HIV. I now collaborate with other young people so that together we can share information about AIDS.”

“There are groups, associations, foundations and people committed to the cause, who have shown that HIV is not synonymous with death, that people can get medication on time and be responsibly sexually active. Those who once believed that death from HIV was inevitable can see that we are succeeding through education and medicine.”

Ajijic Cares, with the support of VIHAS DE VIDA, is working to bring the same understanding of sexuality, hope and support to young people at Lakeside.{/access}

Festivities linked to the 95th birthday of the Chapala train station (now the Centro Cultural González Gallo) get rolling on Thursday, March 26, 6 p.m., with the opening of “Vamos Pasajeros al Tren” and the formal re-inauguration of the center’s permanent display on the history of the short-lived Guadalajara-Chapala railway line. 

Right on cue for the March 20-24 run of Lip Sync 7 (see story page 20), Pro-Auditorio del Lago de Chapala (PACA) President John Keeling reports big advances in a feverish push to overhaul the lighting and sound systems at the Auditorio de la Ribera.