The Binocular Site
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Texas
The Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge spans over 2000 acres along the Rio Grande, and was first dedicated for migratory bird protection in 1943.
400 species of birds along with rather unique wildlife such as the Indigo Snake, Malachite Butterfly, and Ocelot, make their home here.
This refuge gets its rich biodiversity from the intersection of several habitats including gulf coast, plains, desert, and subtropical climate. The wetlands and lakes here support a diverse range of waterfowl, marsh birds, and shorebirds.
Black-belling, Fulvous Whistling, and Mottled Ducks abound here along with Blue-winged, Green-winged, and Cinnamon Teal. Raptors migrate over this area in spring and fall, offering excellent opportunities to see Ospreys, Broadwing Hawks, and Peregrine Falcons.
Rare raptors such as the Hook-billed Kite and Gray Hawk attract birdwatchers to the Santa Ana refuge as well. Don't miss their Warblers, Hummingbirds, Doves, Kingfishers, Robins, Ravens, and Kingbirds.
Miles of trails on foot and accessible to cars make this a hiking wonderland, and they are open everyday from sunrise to sunset, with guides and naturalists available to visitors during the winter.
The state bird of Texas is officially the Northern Mockingbird and you can find a checklist of birds to watch for while birding in Texas here.
Photo credit to birdfreak, used with permission under the creative commons license. You can learn more about the history, birds, butterflies and wildlife at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge here.If you've visited the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, please take the time to share your experience and any insight or tips you have about this Texas bird watching location below.
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