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Annual Whooping Crane boat tour

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    Annual Whooping Crane boat tour

    I normally take a boat tour along the intercoastal waterway at the Aransas NWR to photograph the endangered whooping cranes. A few shots from this years trip. Full gallery is here. Lots of photos in the gallery.

    From wiki

    The whooping crane (Grus americana), the tallest North American bird, is an endangered crane species named for its whooping sound. Along with the sandhill crane, it is one of only two crane species found in North America. The whooping crane's lifespan is estimated to be 22 to 24 years in the wild. After being pushed to the brink of extinction by unregulated hunting and loss of habitat to just 21 wild and two captive whooping cranes by 1941, conservation efforts have led to a limited recovery.[2] The total number of cranes in the surviving migratory population, plus three reintroduced flocks and in captivity, now exceeds 800 birds.



    Flight sequence begins with signaling which is an unmistakable sound. They were going to tend to a third crane that had come into their territory a couple hundred yards down the island.






    Taxi
















    Last edited by Bill M; 01-17-2021, 06:16 AM.

    #2
    They eat about 80 blue crab a day.



















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      #3
      Last morning there, I caught these two out on a sand flat in St. Charles Bay. Early morning as you tell by the light. I have never seen any on the bay side along Lamar Beach Rd. Had to cut our trip short due to impending snow coming.











      Last edited by Bill M; 01-17-2021, 06:18 AM.

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        #4
        Wow thats a success story!!! Wish they could get they could get a handle on the Prairie Chicken I know they trying!!

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          #5
          Originally posted by cva34 View Post
          Wow thats a success story!!! Wish they could get they could get a handle on the Prairie Chicken I know they trying!!

          It really is, hope it continues. They have a decent population currently on the Attwater Prairie Chicken NWR. They are being seen on a regular basis this past year. I got these back in May. https://discussions.texasbowhunter.c...d.php?t=774038


          Thanks for looking.

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            #6
            Great pics sir! We did that trip for the first time this year, Santa gave it to the family! We thoroughly enjoyed it and will do it again for sure. Thanks for sharing, it is a great story of success in wildlife preservation.

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              #7
              Awesome photos. Is that 80 crabs/day per bird?! Seems like a heck of an appetite.


              Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                #8
                Those pics with the crabs are pretty dang cool

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                  #9
                  Awesome pictures!

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                    #10
                    That’s awesome! We saw 4 down there a couple weeks ago! 2 hung out in the canal behind the blind eating crabs I guess! Awesome pics.
                    ! The crab and the beach ones are great!!

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                      #11
                      Thanks again for the comments everyone. Appreciated.



                      Originally posted by kae006 View Post
                      Awesome photos. Is that 80 crabs/day per bird?! Seems like a heck of an appetite.


                      Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                      5 ft tall bird with a 7 ft wingspan burns alot of energy I suppose. They are constantly moving.


                      Originally posted by TKRanch View Post
                      Great pics sir! We did that trip for the first time this year, Santa gave it to the family! We thoroughly enjoyed it and will do it again for sure. Thanks for sharing, it is a great story of success in wildlife preservation.

                      Big or smaller boat? I've been on the big one out of Fulton Harbor once but normally go on the smaller boat with only 3 other people on board.

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                        #12
                        Awesome Pictures, thanks for sharing!

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                          #13
                          Outstanding!!!

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                            #14
                            Big or smaller boat? I've been on the big one out of Fulton Harbor once but normally go on the smaller boat with only 3 other people on board.[/QUOTE]

                            We went with Kevin in one of the smaller boats with only 4 of us. It was great, been wanting to do it for years, but had to put it on hold for 8 years while we were in Illinois. Now that we are back in Texas it was a must do!!

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                              #15
                              Great pictures!

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