Views of the Neighborhood – Whooping Crane Festival

~ John W. Howell

This weekend is the Annual Whooping Crane Festival here in Port Aransas. The Whooping Crane Festival celebrates the annual return of the cranes to their wintering habitat at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The Texas Coastal Bend is the only place where you can see the world’s last naturally occurring population of Whooping Cranes. From a low of 16 in the 1940s, the population is now 306. I hope you enjoy the photos. No, I didn’t get a shot of a Whooping Crane.

Port Aransas Whooping crane festival

Cars parked everywhere for the Festival headquarters and exhibition.

The Civic Center. In addition to boat tours and guided forays to the habitat, there is an exposition of all things birding.

Tables loaded with exciting things for birders.

Registration table.

Port Aransas display

Welcome sign and sponsors.

Udder-Balm has been around for ages. I did not expect to see it on display. We use it on Lucy’s nose to keep it from chapping.

Lots of information about birds and the environment.

The heart of every birder’s dream. A new and better way to see the birds.

We’re talking about some serious optics here.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of the exhibition.

Whooping Cranes

A shot of the cranes taken by Mike Sloat Photography.

71 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – Whooping Crane Festival”

  3. Port Aransas is an amazing locale, and the story of the Whooping Cranes is extraordinary. Thank you for sharing a photo journey with us. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  14. It’s refreshing when you can find a wildlife population that has INCREASED over time. It’s fairly uncommon any longer.

    And I dig that balm! It’s . . wait for it . . udderly fantastic.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. What a great community you live in. There is always something going on. And to have a species increase their numbers is fantastic.

    You are going to miss some of this, I’m sure…

    Liked by 1 person

  21. I love these nerdy festivals and single focuses; we had to employ a bat specialist to move the s.o.b. from a property we wanted to develop (all British bats are protected and you need a special licence to move them…) He was utterly dedicated to the little treasures and lived everything batty; I suspect he slept upside down. He should run a festival.

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  24. I laughed at the “udder balm.” We’ve never beenso sophisticated. We call it bag balm, and it’s still one of my go-tos, along with corn husker’s lotion. The festival’s great, but I confess I avoid such events like the plague. For one thing, I couldn’t come close to affording any of those lenses or spotting scopes, and I’d just end up envious and unhappy. Better to take a day or two and go in search of the birds themselves — for me. For your town? Bring on the birders!

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    1. It is called Bag Balm. I think someone lifted the product and renamed it. I’m with you on the lenses. Better to go out looking for birds than to buy expensive things. 😀

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  27. Always something going on in your neck of the woods, John. My dad is kind of a birder, but just to the extent of watching and identifying the birds in his backyard visiting the feeder, lol.

    Liked by 1 person

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