Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is a special place. It is perched on the northern bank of the Rio Grande not far from the town of Alamo, Texas. It is under the management of the National Fish & Wildlife Service. Here is how Santa Ana is described on its website:
Established in 1943 for the protection of migratory birds, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge happens to be positioned along an east-west and north-south juncture of two major migratory routes for many species of birds. It is also at the northern-most point for many species whose range extends south into Central and South America. The refuge is right in the middle of all this biological diversity, which is what makes this 2,088 acre parcel the ‘jewel of the National Wildlife Refuge System.’ Though small in size, Santa Ana offers visitors an opportunity to see birds, butterflies and many other species not found anywhere else in the United States beyond deep South Texas.
Most out-of-town visitors will see or hear a new bird species before even making it into the refuge’s Visitor Center! Sit in the refuge’s breezeway and watch the birds or hike more than 14 miles of trails. Take an open-air tram ride or join a guided nature walk.
The birding is fantastic at Santa Ana:
Situated along the most southern stretch of the Rio Grande, the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is home to resident species like green jays, chachalacas and great kiskadees, making it one of the top birding destinations in the world. The refuge is important habitat for birds from the Central and Mississippi flyways that funnel through on their way to and from Central and South America. Other bird species, like the groove-billed ani, reach the northern limit of their range in South Texas and do not go much further north than deep South Texas.
Hundreds of thousands of migrating raptors fly over the refuge in spring and fall, including broadwing hawks, northern harriers and peregrine falcons. Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge’s rarest raptors, the hook-billed kite and gray hawk, are seen occasionally. Spring warblers are abundant with more than 35 species seen, including golden-winged warbler, magnolia warbler, northern and tropical parula, American redstart, palm warbler and yellow-breasted chat.
Zebra longwings, Julias, and Mexican bluewings are but a few of the more than 300 butterfly species found on the refuge. Peak diversity falls between October and December with a single October day known to produce a tremendous 65 documented species! The butterflies of Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge are mainly tropical, with many species occurring only as occasional migrants or transients from Mexico.
At an ecological crossroad, Santa Ana is strategically located where subtropical climate, gulf coast, great plains and Chihuahuan desert meet. Here, next to the Rio Grande, you will find Sabal palms growing alongside prickly pear cactus, habitat for the ocelot and jaguarundi, two endangered cat species known to still prowl the deep forest. Lucky visitors might see coyote and bobcat. Look for fresh diggings left by nine-banded armadillos. Lizards, snakes and the Texas tortoise bask in summertime heat and days close with Mexican free-tailed bats wheeling across star-studded skies.
On every trip I have made there I have seen Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, and Plain Chachalaca. There are many other birds there that can be found nowhere else in the United States. The place is small, a little over three sq. mi., and the habitat is irreplaceable. And don’t forget the mammals:
Ocelots are beautiful spotted cats that once roamed from South Texas up into Arkansas and Louisiana. These wild cats used to be seen with some regularity on the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Current estimates are that fewer than 50 are left in the U.S., with all of them residing in South Texas. Of those, an estimated 20 find sanctuary at the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding private lands.
The Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge ocelot population has been studied intensively since 1982. More than 70 ocelots have been captured, examined and released unharmed in an effort to learn more about these mysterious animals, including how to ensure they are always part of the American landscape.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is the lead agency responsible for the recovery of this species and works with many partners, public and private, to ensure this beautiful cat will grace the Texas landscape for generations to come.
Visitors to Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge often confuse ocelots with bobcats. Ocelots are smaller than bobcats and have a longer tail. They stand about a foot high and the adults weigh 15-30 pounds and measure about 3’ long from their nose to the tip of their tail. They have a long ringed or barred tail and their rounded ears are black with a single, large white spot.
Here is a link to a map of Santa Ana. Please be patient, it is a little slow to load. Notice how Mexico and the United States fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Kept together, they make a beautiful part of Mother Nature’s plan, but broken apart and separated by walls, ditches, and scraped, barren landscapes, they make up a wasteland, which, it seems to me is just what Donald Trump is out to do. He wants to lay waste to everything good that is left of America. He is the personification of the stereotypical, evil land developer. Nature has no defense against Donald Trump and his lackeys.
Let me add one more thing. Mexicans do cross the river there. Many years ago, my wife and I were walking along a trail that eventually took us to an overlook of the Rio Grande. We saw many beautiful wonders along the way. At one point, as we rounded a curve in the trail we saw three men coming our way. They saw us. We all stopped. We looked at each other and then very carefully kept to the right and passed each other single-file. We all smiled and nodded. The three men were wet, very. In a few minutes a Border Patrol agent met us on the trail. He asked if we had seen anything and we told him. He talked into a big walkie-talkie and went on up the trail. We resumed our sight-seeing and had a great time at Santa Ana. This is not the only place to cross our border with Mexico, and no wall will stop the traffic. There are better ways to deal with our neighbors.
If you love nature, you must see this place before it is gone.