These are some images of whooping cranes photographed on the Intracoastal Highway on the outer banks of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The whooping cranes' images were captured from the deck of the "Jack Flash," a boat I chartered through Aransas Bay Birding Charters. It was a great experience as Kevin Sims, the owner/operator, was able to get me very close, relatively speaking, to the whooping cranes. The handsome whooping cranes spend their winters at Aransas NWR after flying some 2,500 miles from northern Canada. You will also find the close cousin of the whooping crane, the much more numerous Sandhill Cranes that also spend their winters throughout south Texas. Other birds in this family are the rails, grebes and coots.
Photographed November 20, 2007 on the small outer islands at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, near Rockport, Texas. It was toward the end of the tour when we finally found some whooping cranes close to the shore. I had to deal with some harsh shadows here. This was one of many pairs observed this day grazing among the high grasses and reeds in the marshy area. The flock had just arrived from its breeding grounds in northern Canada.
Photographed November 20, 2007 on the small outer islands at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, near Rockport, Texas. It was toward the end of the tour when we finally found some whooping cranes close to the shore. I had to deal with some harsh shadows here. This was one of many pairs observed this day grazing among the high grasses and reeds in the marshy area. The flock had just arrived from its breeding grounds in northern Canada.
Camera: Canon (Canon Eos 40d) |
More details: exif |
Original size: 3888px x 2592px |
Current: 400px x 267px |