Day 8, stuffed Armadillo, Santa Ana NWR

While there is basically no, or very little, activity on Flickr since the Big Move, I thought I would upload the final 23 photos, taken on DAY 8 of our 13-day trip, 26 March 2019, at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in South Texas. This Refuge stretches to the border with Mexico. Too many problems with uploading today - usually, photos upload quickly and without issues for me. Sorry, so many blurry photos in this batch, but a lot of things were far away, or taken on a drive-by or, in the case of the pair of tiny Elf Owls, taken in the dark. I think Day 9 is going to be similar, but then Day 10 will have more colourful Texas birds.

Despite the lack of close, colourful birds, Day 8 was an interesting day, spent at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in South Texas. The forest was so different from anything I had ever seen, with Spanish Moss hanging from all the branches. It was quite a strange feeling to walk the trails,

"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." From link below.

www.fws.gov/refuge/Santa_Ana/map.html

From Audubon:

"Possible Border Wall Plans Would Be 'Devastating' for Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Located in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, the refuge features a variety of habitats that are home to a staggering diversity of birds and other wildlife. Growing evidence suggests the wall could go right through it all."