Santa Ana NWR
From WikiBird
This refuge is located in the Rio Grande flood plain in south Texas at the junction of four distinct climate zones (temperate, desert, coastal, and subtropical). Nearly 400 different types of birds have been seen here. The Visitor Center is open seven days a week (except Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day) from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Trails are open every day from sunrise to sunset.
Habatat types include Resacas, Upland Thorn Forest, Bottomland Forest, Riparian Terraces, and Mudflats.
Current birding conditions: (1/14/06) Pintail lakes 2 and 3 are active with numerous ducks and wading birds including Cinnamon Teal, Eared and Least Grebe, Bufflehead, Ring-necked Duck, and Pintail. Willow Lakes 1 & 3 also have sufficient water for ducks and wading birds.
- Admission $3 per car.
- Directions: From Highway 83 at Alamo go south on Alamo Rd. (FM907) 7 miles until it dead ends on 281. Turn left (east) and in about 1/4 mile the entrance sign will be on the right.
- The seven mile wildlife drive, open on weekends during the summer, provides excellent opportunities for exploring the more remote areas of Santa Ana. The drive is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays from May through November. Please call the Visitor Center at (956) 784-7500 before arrival to confirm that the drive will be open.
- Specialities: Hook-billed Kite, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulets, Clay-colored Robin.
- Rare sightings: Rose-throated Becard, Roadside Hawk [1], Blue Bunting ('05) [2], White-throated Robin ('05) [3].
