AZFO-White Mtns. trip (late August)

Back on the weekend of August 27-28, 2011, my mom and I joined several other birders on the Arizona Field Ornithologists (AZFO) trip to the southern portions of Navajo and Apache counties, including the White Mountains proper. Over the weekend we found ~120 species, including 14 species of shorebirds. Highlights from the trip included a female Orchard Oriole and a Dickcissel at the reservoir behind Hidden Cove Golf Course in Holbrook (the oriole was a lifer for my mom and I), at least three Short-billed Dowitchers and 25+ Baird's Sandpipers at the St. Johns wastewater treatment plant, Gray Catbirds and a juvenile Townsend's Solitaire at the bridge over the South Fork of the Little Colorado River. The expedition started at La Posada Hotel grounds in Winslow --> McHood Park/Clear Creek Reservoir--> Holbrook-Golf Course Rd.--> Snowflake gravel ponds at confluence of Silver Creek and Cottonwood Wash--> Taylor wastewater treatment plant--> Concho Lake--> Lyman Lake, where we stayed overnight on the 27th. A few of us went to Booga Red's Mexican restaurant/cantina in Springerville for dinner. The next morning we first birded Lyman Lake and then tried unsuccessfully to get into some gravel ponds on the southside of St. Johns,--> St. Johns wastewater treatment plant--> Wenima Wildlife Area--> Becker Lake--> South Fork of the Little Colorado River bridge--> Sunrise Lake-->White Mountain Lake. At this point the group split up to head back to respective homes, while a few of us continued on south in the White Mountains to check lakes and get a first-hand look at the damage from this summer's Wallow Fire, the largest fire in state history. We went down to Nelson Reservoir, Luna Lake, and through Nutrioso. As far as the fire damage, Escudilla Mountain looked the worst which was really depressing to see. The subsequent erosion had ripped out most of the alders and willows along the creek which Hwy 191 parallels between Alpine and Nutrioso, along with the creek that runs through Nutrioso. However, the area immediately around Luna Lake did not look that bad, as did the area around Nelson Reservoir. Here are various photos from the trip:

Female/immature Black-headed Grosbeak with interesting pink-colored bill at Concho Lake:

milkweed species (Asclepias sp., Family Asclepiadaceae) at Concho Lake:

desert four o'clock (Mirabilis multiflora, Family Nyctaginaceae) at Lyman Lake campground:

sphinx moth pollinating a Mirabilis flower:

unknown flowers at Lyman Lake campground:

buckwheat species (Eriogonum sp., Family Polygonaceae):

Shorebird flock at the St. John's wastewater treatment plant, including at least three Short-billed Dowitchers, Long-billed Dowitchers, Baird's and Western Sandpipers, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs:

Becker Lake:

moth caterpillar at Becker Lake:

verbena species (Verbena sp., Family Verbenaceae):

Abert's creeping zinnia (Sanvitalia aberti, Family Asteraceae):

Townsend's Solitaire (juvenile) at South Fork of LCR bridge:

stinging nettle (Urtica dioica, Family Urticaceae):

New Mexico checkermallow (Sidalcea neomexicana, Family Malvaceae):

A marijuana (Cannabis sativa, Family Cannabaceae) growing near the South Fork of the LCR bridge. Gee, I wonder how it got introduced into this ecosystem?:

morning glory species (Ipomoea sp., Family Convolvulaceae):

Long earthworm in a less turbulent pool in the Little Colorado below the bridge:

Monsoon thunderheads building up above South Fork of the LCR:

Sunrise Lake:

golden columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha, Family Ranunculaceae):

southwestern cosmos (Cosmos parviflorus, Family Asteraceae):

shrubby cinquefoil (Dasyphora floribunda, Family Rosaceae):

Luna Lake:

Views of fire damage from Alpine:

Erosion on creek along Hwy 191 between Alpine Divide campground/Tal-Wi-Wi Lodge area and Alpine:

Views of burn area above Hwy 191 between Tal-Wi-Wi Lodge and Nutrioso, including Escudilla Mountain and erosion along roadside creek:

Blue Grosbeak at Nutrioso:

prairie-clover species (Dalea sp., Family Fabaceae), with southwestern cosmos (Cosmos parviflorus) mixed in:

Views of fire damage on Escudilla Mountain and creek erosion from Nutrioso:

On the drive back to Heber we stopped at one of the large pulloffs on Hwy 260 near the turnoff to Sunrise ski area to take photos of the developing sunset. A Sunrise sunset: