My Trip to the 2014 NAFHA National Meeting in Rodeo, NM

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SurfinHerp
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My Trip to the 2014 NAFHA National Meeting in Rodeo, NM

Post by SurfinHerp »

Hey There Fellow FHF’ers and NAFHA members,


I had a pretty good time at the NAFHA National Meeting last weekend. Things could have gone better, but they also could have been much worse.

Here’s the story of my trip….



Due to family commitments I wasn’t able to leave San Diego until Saturday morning. I picked up my herping buddy Chris P. (aka chrispherp) at 9 AM and we jammed east on I-8 into Arizona. I was pushing it pretty hard in an effort to get to the AZ/NM border area by 6 or 7 PM. The weather was really hot on Saturday, with air temps around 106-108 F. Around 2 PM, somewhere west of Casa Grande, my Honda Pilot started smoking big time and the “A/T Temp” indicator light came on. I pulled over and assessed the situation. It was looking really bad. Seemed like my transmission was probably toast.

We limped in the breakdown lane to the next exit and found a Napa Auto Parts store. I bought some ATF and topped off the fluid level, then we drove slowly to Pep Boys in Casa Grande. They told me that the “breather tube” was spitting out ATF, and they cleaned up the undercarriage as best they could.

While waiting for the work to be finished at Pep Boys, Chris and I were calling transmission repair shops and car rental agencies, trying to formulate an alternative plan if my car was caput. Since it was a holiday weekend, our options were extremely limited. Nobody would be able to fix the tranny until Tuesday, and rental cars were only available at the airports in Phoenix and Tucson. At this point, I decided we would try to make it to Tucson, and then determine whether to rent a car.

Well, the wounded Pilot drove pretty well and we made it to Tucson without incident. But ATF was still slowly dripping. We ate some fast food, topped off the ATF levels, and decided to just risk it with the Pilot instead of going the safe route and getting a rental car. I drove it gently the rest of the trip, and despite a lot of burning ATF smells, we made it everywhere we wanted to go. I drove another 1,400 miles before I got it home to my mechanic in San Diego!


So after the big scare and delay, we made it near the AZ/NM border around 9 PM Sat. night, got off the Interstate, and started road cruising.
Right away we found a few herps…


DOR Sonoran whipsnake
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Long-nosed snake
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The long-nosed coiled and covered itself in bloody musk when we moved it off the road ahead of an approaching vehicle
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We saw a good number of these Couch’s spadefoot toads during the trip, though I only photographed a couple
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Western diamondback rattlesnakes were our most commonly seen snakes
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Mojave rattlers were the second most common snakes
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Just a small diamondback
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Sometime around 11:30 PM Saturday, Chris and I ran into fellow CA Chapter members Fundad and MattG on the side of the road near Rodeo, NM. We followed them back to Sunny Flats campground and shared their campsite for the night. Thanks Brian and Matt for helping us out!




In the morning we woke up in some of the most beautiful habitat I’ve ever seen

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Chris and I drove east into New Mexico in hopes of finding a box turtle or desert hognose snake.

No luck on those, but at least we saw a good number of common lizards, such as this pair of tree lizards
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Our best find of the day was a large Sonoran whipsnake on the crawl. Since my camera wasn’t at the ready, I decided against going for the voucher shot and instead made a lunge for the snake with my tongs. Utter failure. It disappeared into the brush.


A little later we found some spadefoot tadpoles and metamorphs around the edge of a stock pond
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On our way to the Sunday BBQ at the Chiricahua Desert Museum, we bumped into Fundad and MattG again – this time at the store in Animas. After replenishing our gas and ice supplies, we all went to flip a few lava rocks on the way back to Rodeo. Flipping didn’t produce the fossorials we hoped for, but Fundad pointed out a roadside collared lizard that Chris and I decided to bring to the BBQ.


Chris loves collareds!
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The museum had a terrific collection of herps to gaze at, and the BBQ was pretty worthwhile. I was especially happy that we were able to sit down inside and eat in air-conditioned comfort. I wasn't able to meet and talk with everyone though. Wish we had a little more time and organization at the BBQ. Perhaps some name tags and a chance for everyone to introduce themselves to the group. Anyhow, I enjoyed talking with Terry Cox, the other Terry (Reptilist), Diego Ortiz, Biker Dave and a few other NAFHA members. I don’t think I ever met anyone from the Rocky Mountain Chapter. Where were you guys? Also didn’t get the behind-the-scenes tour that I was hoping for (they said they would take a second group in, but they never came back out and got those of us who were patiently waiting).


After the BBQ on Sunday, Chris and I drove up into the Chiricahuas and explored the middle elevation mixed pine/oak forests.

Here’s a view of the habitat
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It was a very pleasant place to herp. We saw a few common lizards such as the Clark’s spiny and striped plateau. No cool snakes.


In the late afternoon/early evening, we cruised lower elevation dirt roads hoping to find a green ratsnake or a Gila monster (or at least a gopher snake maybe). No such luck.

Right around sunset we stopped to photo some javelinas and came across Biker Dave. He told us that three Gila monsters were just found nearby. The news seemed to have spread fast because the road was soon filled with cruisers, including MattG who happened to arrive in the area at the same time as others even though he hadn’t heard about the Gilas.

Since the road was crowded, Biker Dave decided to night walk the nearby canyon. Chris and I teamed up with him, while Matt hit the roads. Our walk only produced one herp – a great basin skink Dave found under a rock.

Afterwards, Chris and I cruised down in the valley where we saw a bunch of toads and some more Crotes…
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Late on Sunday night, Chris and I returned to the collared lizard spot to release the lizard back in its home.
While Chris was making sure the collared settled down under the rock where we had found it, I decided to flip some rocks nearby.
Ended up finding this hatchling Tucson banded gecko
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We got back into Sunny Flats well after midnight and hung out with Fundad and MattG for a while before hitting the sack.




Early on Monday morning Chris and I explored the NM/AZ border, still hoping for box turtles and desert hoggies. Struck out again.


Later in the morning we took a hike along the creek near the campground.

We saw a bunch of mountain (Yarrow’s) spiny lizards, a few Clark’s spinies, and some other common herps such as this small whiptail

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Can anyone ID the species? I'm not sure what it is.



We were planning to attend the wrap-up meeting at 11 AM in Rodeo but were running a little late. Then, not far from the car/campground, we found one of our main targets on the crawl in the partial shade…

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The mountain kingsnake was pretty exciting and we spent too long photographing it. By the time we made it to Rodeo, the wrap-up had already wrapped up. Nobody was to be found.


So, we got back on the road and started making our way West towards San Diego. We visited two more awesome mountain ranges on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.


Here’s where we spent Monday night and early Tuesday…
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We didn’t see much on Monday night – just a couple banded geckos, a few Crotes, plus some toads.
But hey, at least one of the toad species was on my list to photograph.


This Sonoran desert toad was so large, I could barely fit it in my view finder

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On Tuesday, we woke up at about 5 AM and cruised the road in hopes of finding a morning ratsnake.


On our second lap, we made our second-best find of the trip – a 23” regal ringneck snake!
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Later in the morning we stopped off at Sabino Canyon and took a ride up to the stream. I jumped in the water with my swimsuit and searched unsuccessfully for garter snakes, while Chris hiked around and vouchered a bunch of lizards. Our best find was the Canyon (Giant) Spotted whiptail. I’d love to go back there someday when conditions are better.


After Sabino, we made the long drive across the hot AZ desert, timing our arrival in Winterhaven, CA just before sunset.


In Winterhaven, a quick search turned up our lifer Colorado River tree lizards
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Chris actually spotted the first one within 2 minutes of getting out of the car.


After dark, we cruised one lap around the desert flats and found a tiny leaf-nosed snake. Then we took a little detour in the desert-edge mountains and saw a granite night lizard just a short way off the road.


The final herp of our trip was this yearling San Diego gopher snake found crossing the Old Highway somewhere outside Jacumba around 10:30 PM.

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I dropped off Chris just before midnight, then made it home safely a short while later.


Overall it was quite an adventure. I’d like to say Thanks to chrispherp for being such a good-natured, tireless field companion, and for putting up with me for four whole days!


Cheers,


Jeff
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Biker Dave
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Re: My Trip to the 2014 NAFHA National Meeting in Rodeo, NM

Post by Biker Dave »

Good stuff! I was nice to meet some So Cal herpers in the flesh instead of just seeing names on a computer screen!
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Nature Nate
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Re: My Trip to the 2014 NAFHA National Meeting in Rodeo, NM

Post by Nature Nate »

Looks like a rewarding trip. I hope I can make it out there one of these years. Thanks for sharing.
Zach_Lim
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Re: My Trip to the 2014 NAFHA National Meeting in Rodeo, NM

Post by Zach_Lim »

PYRO!
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LouB747
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Re: My Trip to the 2014 NAFHA National Meeting in Rodeo, NM

Post by LouB747 »

Looks like a great trip.
hellihooks
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Re: My Trip to the 2014 NAFHA National Meeting in Rodeo, NM

Post by hellihooks »

Yeah... it could have been a lot worse... BELIEVE me...lol I spent 6 hrs under my truck, repairing it's tranny, with my car behind it on a trailer, with a totally blown trans, which blew the night before... :roll: All my 'trip $' went to getting my vehicles home... and now rebuilding a trans... which fortunently I can do myself. so yeah... could be worse. I guess... :lol: :lol: :lol:
At least you got to see a few Really cool herps, and got a few lifers... :thumb: And Thx for posting... was just getting ready to ask 'Why no Nat Meet post?" :? jim
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Kent VanSooy
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Re: My Trip to the 2014 NAFHA National Meeting in Rodeo, NM

Post by Kent VanSooy »

Nice story and pictures Jeff! Both the pyro and the regalis are most excellent - thanks for sharing!
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SurfinHerp
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Re: My Trip to the 2014 NAFHA National Meeting in Rodeo, NM

Post by SurfinHerp »

Glad you guys appreciate my post - Thanks for your replies!

I'm still interested to find out what other members saw during the Meeting. Anyone else want to share a few stories and pics?? Feel free to add to this post if you don't want to create one of your own.

:thumb:


Jeff
Jimi
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Re: My Trip to the 2014 NAFHA National Meeting in Rodeo, NM

Post by Jimi »

Nice account, thanks for sharing Jeff.

Sorry to hear of your car troubles! Low-desert heat can be a real challenge to any vehicle! Also not fun to be thrown outside into - potentially deadly, and never comfortable. I'm surprised you pushed your luck 1) not opting for a rental in Tucson upon arrival, and then 2) heading back into the low desert heat in the midafternoon on the way home. But it all worked out, and I'm glad it did.

Another Rocky Mtn Chapter member and I came to the meet & greet Friday (after arriving the previous night & spending Fri AM hunting another mtn range), then bugged out immediately afterward and herped elsewhere. Mainly on the W side of the Chiri's. Then our formerly quiet, old & tired little campground literally filled up (Douglas seeking some shade & a creek???) Saturday afternoon and we bailed - just fled, really - for yet another mountain range. Latin and country music at 120 decibels - no thanks. It was interesting to see the difference the Forest Service put into Cave Creek infrastructure (nice!), and what we saw on the west side (majorly de-prioritized; doing less with less I guess...).

Anyway - closest we came to a pyro was a shed Friday AM. Also got a blacktail shed in the same canyon - the one that had burned 5-6 years ago (see below).

Here's my quick write-up of our trip, to a friend who had a last-minute change of plans and couldn't go with us. I've omitted place names "to fit in here":
we got:

quite a few bugs - scorps, vinegaroons, big spiders, colorful lubbers, and also some shocking numbers of grasshoppers

(Thomas took his blacklight)

quite a few rattlesnakes:
a raft of mostly juvie Mojaves, several DOR maybe 5-6 unharmed
2 good-sized atrox, 1 DOR & "trophy-hacked", 1 perfectly well and really sassy
2 leps
2 blacktails
1 DOR cerberus
1 DOR striped whipsnake

honestly I cannot recall any other non-venomous snakes at the moment (who needs em anyway, ha ha)

some lizards:
various things we saw from the road and didn't stop for (horneds - prob Texas, whiptails etc)
some earless lizards we got some pretty good looks at
several flavors of scelop in decent numbers - big Clark's, medium Yarrow's, medium-small "virgatus" I think it was (a mountain ground-dweller)
quite a few Urosaurus
a fair number of whiptails (less, by far, than I remember down there - but we did very little lowland hunting)
Thomas got a quick look at a neonate alligator lizard
he also caught a neonate short-horned
a banded gecko we cut-shined

a Sonoran mud turtle in a creek pool

some spadefoots and lots of metamorph red-spotteds and a whole lot of tadpoles of what seemed to be 3 species (including Bufo alvarius, given location and tad size)

an adult canyon treefrog

I thought it wasn't a very good trip, in terms of body count. Still had lots of fun and was glad to see the country. Thomas and I avoided bugging each other I think. Labor day weekend was a mistake - there were lots of people all over the place. I do not like that.

Xxx canyon, I had never been to. Yyy canyon, it had been so long it was like new. Both had burned recently - (one) maybe 5-6 years ago and (the other) in 2012. I thought the fires improved the habitat, but the animals may still be recovering from them. My spot in the Zzz's hasn't burned, but it had flooded pretty bad, the week before. Cruising was quite crappy, I thought. Except for "the night of the Mohaves" anyway. But we really didn't do a whole lot of cruising. (I saw a few blacktop roads I'd like to give a shot. Haven't seen a desert king in a while.)

Probably exerting more influence on numbers however, than fire or flood - I looked at some climate records and the SE AZ region has actually been in a 20-year drought, with just 2 or 3 decent El Ninos and/or monsoons thrown in.

I kept saying to Thomas, "damn, this is some pretty tough hunting - I sure remember it being a lot easier, and finding a TON more animals". I also noted that I was aware it could just be one of those memory tricks - everything used to be better and easier, right?

Between the fires and especially the drought, I'm thinking my memory isn't wrong - there are actually a lot fewer animals running around down there. Still, the diversity is way better than here, and for the most part the numbers are actually comparable to a decent day here. I think a wet winter and a decent next summer could go a hell of a long way to recovering animal numbers. The place is just bursting with growth potential, it's really pretty tropical.

I'd be happy to go again next year. Just not Labor Day weekend.

Thomas can fill in any gaps and also share his impressions. Maybe he'll get some photos up, or to you. I think I took literally zero photos. It just doesn't occur to me, to take any.
So there's a quick and dirty "how we did". Curious to hear from the Colorado crowd. (I also would have liked name tags or a round of introductions or something - maybe we missed them though.)

Cheers,
Jimi
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ZantiMissKnit
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Re: My Trip to the 2014 NAFHA National Meeting in Rodeo, NM

Post by ZantiMissKnit »

Hey, Jeff, it was awesome to briefly run into you one of those nights (it was the night we were all looking for gilas, IIRC)! I've got photos galore from the trip; bear with me and I'll get some up.

-Andrea
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reptilist
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Re: My Trip to the 2014 NAFHA National Meeting in Rodeo, NM

Post by reptilist »

Nice to meet you Jeff!

:beer:
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