Santa Anna National Wildlife Refuge

Well we have finished up our volunteer gig at Santa Anna National Wildlife Refuge in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) and are moving north to begin our AK trip later this month.  As usual we have enjoyed it and are ready to move on. Sorry I have not been on the blog since arriving, just too…  

We had a nice spot to park the RV. We were one of 13 rigs with volunteers. There was another smaller park with about 8 rigs.

Our spot at Santa Anna NWR. The lights kept the local mice at bay or so we were told!

The South Texas Refuge Complex consists of Santa Anna National Wildlife Refuge, Laguna Atascoitia NWR, and the Lower Rio Grande NWR and numerous dispersed parcels of land in south TX that are managed by the complex.  There are nine World Birding Centers in the lower Rio Grande Valley in addition to the NWRs.  Two major bird migration routes cross this area and it is an area that attracts birders not only from across the US, but from around the world!  My favorite birder, BJ, has been in seventh heaven here. She has been on a constant birding expedition since we have been here.

Santa Anna is frequently referred to as the Jewel of the Refuge System.  It is one of the few remaining undisturbed subtropical plots of land in the country.  The refuge can be traced back to a land grant from the in the early 1800’s.  Over time the original grant was combined with others and much of it farmed extensively; however, the section that is now Santa Anna NWR was never farmed and most of it is still the thorny scrub that once pervaded the Rio Grande Valley.  As you walk the trails you can see the solid wall of scrubthorns that are impenetrable except for the many small animals.  The southern border of the refuge is the Rio Grande River.  The US government acquired the Santa Anna section in 1943 to create a NWR. 

While here BJ has worked in the Visitors Center helping visitors learn about the refuge and operating the book/gift store.  

BJ minding the store!

But, she also enjoyed doing some yard work for a change!

She has loved the interaction with all the birders that come here.  She had fed the birds daily and I think she talks with them while doing so.  She added some bird feeding stations outside the RV and every day she watched them as then enjoyed the repast she laid out; fresh suet, only the best seeds and clean feeding stations.  The birds loved it; and so did she!

Crowned Blue Heron

Chackalaca (looks like a chicken - but lot louder)

Our first visitor to the RV - an Altamira Oriole 

Greater Kiskadee

Green Jay

There are some spieces of birds that you will find no where else in the US except here in the RGV which is the northern range of there natural habitat.  The Altamira Orielo and the very beautiful Green Jay, for example. When somebody told me after we first got here there was a bird with green, black and blue coloring my thoughts were - ugh!  But, once you see one you think "what a beauty!"  My picture does it no justice! 
First time I went to the RV for lunch this little Altmira Orieol came up and sat on the window sill looking inside as if to say "Aren't you going to invite me in for lunch?" I took a dozen pics of him and it did not faze him.  He would fly off for a while, then come right back.   


I worked Sundays in the Visitors Center with her, but the other two days (sometimes more) I worked on the team of volunteers building a new boardwalk in the refuge.  I also had a blast.  The project was started shortly before I got here.  99% of the work was done by volunteers.  The staff did some heavy excavation and clearing and some of the initial concrete work but the volunteers did the rest.  The refuge figured the volunteer effort saved them about $100,000 it would have cost of have it done commercially.

In the beginning...

The first joists are down!

The observation deck is started under the tent which was erected to keep rain from washing out the excavation before the concrete was poured.  

Each joist weighed 240 lb and was manhandled into position!

The final extension takes shape

The decking is down

The uprights to carry the roof over the observations deck are up and the railings in progress

Work continues!

It is done! Now they will refill the lake with water and the birds will love it!  

The volunteer team was six guys but other members of the volunteer cadre here helped from time to time.  It was started right after the first of the year and finished up in mid-March before most of the volunteers left.  (They had started their volunteer stint in Jan and finished end of March. BJ and I started in Feb and finish end of April.)

Our Summer will be on the road to and around AK and we are excited about that.  We will head to Albuquerque from here and rent a storage space to unload some gear from the RV to make it easier to setup camp and break down as we will be doing frequently. Also, all the advice is to lighten your RV as much as possible to reduce the stress caused by some of the roads we will see on the trip.  We plan on crossing the border from MT to Canada on or about 20 May.  It is nearly 2,000 miles across Canada to Tok, AK, the town you visit twice! Since Tok is on the AK Highway across the border and the AK highway is the only way you can drive to or from AK you see it on the way in and you see it again on the way out!  My brother, Gary, and his wife, Floy will be joining us for part of the trip in their RV.  We are leaving a little earlier then they are but they will be catching up with us we expect about the time we get to AK.  They will be returning ahead of us, but we expect to spend a few weeks together, maybe a little more!

We expect to cross the border in to WA about 10 Sep! From there we will be headed to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta from 8-13 October (and we will pick up our stuff from storage)!  My sisters Marla and CC will be coming out in Marla’s RV and will join us at the Balloon Fiesta and the trip back to FL!

All-in-all we see a busy but enjoyable Summer in front of us and I will try to keep the blog up a little lot better than I have done here at Santa Anna!

Always at home, no matter where we are!!