Santa Ana is our absolute favorite place in South Texas to look for birds and dragonflies. We visited this national wildlife refuge on 21 and 22 February 2018. This location is the only place I have seen a Clay-colored Thrush in the United States. The plan to build a border wall through the center of this refuge makes little or no reference to the habitat or wildlife that will be affected by the wall.
Golden-fronted Woodpeckers are abundant in south Texas. Clearly they are closely related to Red-bellied Woodpeckers found further north. Indeed, the two species hybridize where their ranges overlap.
I was surprised to find a Verdin in the refuge. I thought they inhabited areas further west. In fact, they are found across much of central Texas, west to California and south through central Mexico. Just how Verdins are related to other birds has long been debated by ornithologists. Current thought is that they are closest to Old World Penduline Tits, the Remizidae. This classification would place them near chickadees and titmice. Other studies place then nearer to wrens, gnatcatchers, creepers, or nuthatches.
American Kestrels often take odonates, probably including the Familiar Bluet. Kestrels capture dragonflies and other arthropods both on the ground and in the air.
The refuge personnel told us to keep an eye out for a rare Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. We found one. I am not sure, however, that this species is all that uncommon in south Texas. In the winter, this species is found across the souther United States south through most of Central America.
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