Lake Havasu

Northern Arizona Audubon's Regional Field Trip to Lake Havasu featured a 4-hour boat trip on Saturday morning, some lake gazing for 4-hours in the afternoon and then 4-hours on Sunday morning in riparian habitat along the Bill Williams River Preserve.

The boat trip yielded good views of the Tricolored Heron, a fly by Sabine's Gull (both in California waters) and a humorous moment on choppy waters where the group got excited about a possible Little Gull on the water. This bird turned out to be an American Avocet floating on the water. Another serengeti moment occured when a young, but close to full size Clark's Grebe clambered on its parent's back before being unceremonously flipped off again.

Clark's Grebe

Forster's Tern

Western Grebe

The afternoon trip wasn't a successful one due to a loud event across from Rotary Park and watercraft everywhere we looked. A quiet sojourn over Mesquite Bay before sunset yielded better views of a Sabine's Gull but not of the hoped-for jaegers.

Sunday morning's walk added many passerines to the trip list, including both Blackpoll and Black-and-White warblers high in a cottonwood. From a viewpoint across the lake we added Caspian Terns to our list but probable Sanderling were too far away for me to call.

We amassed over 70 species on the trip, of which 5 were new for 2011 taking my yearly total to 540. Blackpoll Warbler was a new state bird, my 12th for the year reaching my minimum goal for the year.