February 5, 2020
It was a beautiful, but cloudy afternoon when we visited the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in Alamo, Texas. We were able to use our National Parks Pass for admission.
This area of Texas is situated at the very tip of Texas state in the perfect location for migratory birds both from east to west, and from north to south. The refuge covers 2,088 acres and touches the Rio Grande River on the border of the US and Mexico. There are 14 miles of trails for hiking, or you can take the tram ride when it is in operation. (It was not available when we visited.)
Every morning there is a guided bird walk. Apparently, 400 bird species have been spotted here, but on the day we went, we didn’t see any birds except a few doves near the visitor’s center. It must have been the wrong time of day for the birds to be out.
Soon after you leave the visitor center you go up over a levee and shortly come to a pond.
A little further on, there is a pond on the opposite side of the pathway.
There are also 450 types of plants and half of all butterfly species have been found there. We saw plenty of plants but no butterflies. The Spanish moss is plentiful. We enjoyed walking under the shade of many trees.
A short walk from the visitor center is a suspension bridge.
The banner at the bottom of the suspension bridge shows the sizes of the largest birds. The largest one is the California Condor. The orange color represents the bald eagle.
A short walk away from the bridge is the observation tower. I didn’t count the steps up to the top, but I got my exercise that day!
From the top of the observation tower, I could see views of nearby lakes in the preserve.
Looking the opposite direction, I could see all the way into Mexico. I didn’t include that photo, because all you can see is trees.
Walking back, we saw more Spanish moss.
Spanish Moss close up
Our pathway back
Even though we didn’t see many birds, it was a beautiful area with lots to see.
Categories: Airstream Travel, RV Travel