Rockport and then to the Rio Grande

Steve and Russell

This morning we twitched the Tropical Kingbird in the carpark of our hotel before heading a few blocks to the port of Rockport and Fulton where we checked in to join Captain Tommy Moore on his ship, the Skimmer, for a three-hour cruise to the Aransas reserve.

This was the third time I have taken this boat trip and it was just as enjoyable as the first. And like the last one we saw both the endangered Whooping Crane and Bobcat! 

The cruise is seriously recommended not just because of the place and the birds but the personality and knowledge of the captain. He and his son, who also showed wonderful manners, enthusiasm, and hospitality, really make the trip.

Capt. Tommy

From his website: 

Since re-commissioning Skimmer in 2003 Capt. Tommy Moore has been providing a truly unique nature tourism experience. Nature lovers from all over the world have given us our most prized accolades by referring their friends, families, colleagues, and folks they meet on the trail. Capt. Tommy has been in the Aransas area for over 30 years. His knowledge of the area, the incredibly abundant wildlife, and the rich history of Aransas bay give our customers a perspective of the area they cannot get anywhere else. We are a classic family business and care about our customers. We feel that a nature tour should allow you to become one with all that is around you. We promise not to drone on and on over a PA system that is too loud. We hit the highlights of the area and help you learn to identify as many species as you care to by being on deck and available.

The Whooping Crane, an endangered species with an inspiring conservation recovery story, is the headline act. The celebrated novelist Tom Robbins describes the Whooping Crane thus; 

“The whooping crane is a giant bird, nearly five feet tall, with a wingspan of more than seven feet. Its plumage is white as virgin snow, except for black wingtips that show only in flight, and a red crown like a drop of blood on its head. Its call is a whooping bugle that can be heard for miles across the marsh. It is a bird that looks as if it had been dreamed up by a committee consisting of a ballet dancer, a mortician, and an angel.”

An AI essay about the Whooping Crane:

The Whooping Crane is one of North America’s most iconic and imperiled birds—a striking symbol of both ecological loss and conservation success. Standing nearly 1.5 meters tall, with gleaming white plumage, black wingtips visible in flight, and a resonant bugling call that carries for kilometers, the Whooping Crane once ranged widely across the continent’s wetlands and prairies. By the mid-20th century, however, it had been brought to the brink of extinction, and its recovery has since become one of the most remarkable conservation stories in the world.

Historically, Whooping Cranes bred across the northern Great Plains and wintered along the Gulf Coast, relying on vast, intact wetland systems. Their decline began in the 19th century and accelerated into the early 20th, driven by habitat loss from agricultural expansion, wetland drainage, and unregulated hunting. By 1941, the entire wild population had plummeted to just 21 individuals—a number so small that extinction seemed almost inevitable.

The turning point came with the recognition of the crane’s dire status and the initiation of coordinated conservation efforts. Central to this recovery was the protection of critical habitat, particularly the species’ only remaining natural breeding ground in Wood Buffalo National Park and its wintering grounds at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. These two sites anchor the only self-sustaining wild migratory population, which travels roughly 4,000 kilometers each year between Canada and the Texas coast.

A key organization in the species’ recovery has been the International Crane Foundation, which has led research, captive breeding, and reintroduction programs. Beginning in the 1960s and 1970s, conservationists developed techniques to raise cranes in captivity while minimizing human imprinting—often using crane costumes and puppet-rearing methods to ensure chicks would identify with their own species. Eggs were collected from the wild (carefully, to avoid reducing productivity) and hatched in controlled environments, boosting the total population.

Reintroduction efforts have been both innovative and challenging. One of the most famous initiatives involved training captive-bred cranes to migrate using ultralight aircraft, led by the Operation Migration. Young cranes followed the aircraft along a safe migratory route, learning a path they could later repeat independently. Although this program demonstrated remarkable ingenuity and captured public imagination, establishing a fully self-sustaining eastern migratory population has proven difficult, with issues such as predation, habitat suitability, and human disturbance affecting long-term success.

Despite these challenges, the Whooping Crane population has steadily increased. Today, there are over 800 individuals in total across wild and captive populations, with the main wild migratory group numbering several hundred birds. This recovery represents a dramatic improvement from the species’ near-extinction in the 1940s and highlights the effectiveness of sustained, science-based conservation.

However, the Whooping Crane remains endangered, and significant threats persist. Habitat loss continues, particularly along migratory stopover sites in the central United States, where wetlands are still being drained or degraded. Climate change poses additional risks, potentially altering water levels and food availability in both breeding and wintering areas. Collisions with power lines are another major cause of mortality, especially for young or inexperienced birds. Conservationists are actively working to mitigate these threats through habitat protection, landowner partnerships, and infrastructure modifications.

The Whooping Crane’s story is ultimately one of cautious optimism. It demonstrates that even species reduced to a handful of individuals can recover when given sufficient protection, resources, and public support. At the same time, it underscores how fragile such recoveries can be. The cranes’ continued survival depends on ongoing conservation efforts, international cooperation between Canada and the United States, and the preservation of the wetlands that sustain not only this species but countless others.

In the haunting call of the Whooping Crane echoes both a warning and a promise: a reminder of how close we have come to losing irreplaceable wildlife, and proof that with commitment and ingenuity, recovery is possible.

On out trip the Crane had a supporting cast of nearly 50 species -  a mix of gulls and terns, waders, egrets and herons, waterfowl plus a guest appearance of swallows and a single Chimney Swift.

Bob Cat and Bottlenose Dolphin were the mammals recorded.

Post boat tour and post picnic lunch we headed towards the Rio Grande and twitched a rare bird at Corpus Christie. This bird was so rare it was yet to find a place in all but the most recent of field guides. It was only recently recorded and reported in the largely deserted central streets of Corpus Christie. The bird was a Cattle Tyrant, part of the new world Tyrant flycatcher family, and it had found flies – plenty of them – near a very large blue dumpster. We found the dumpster and quickly found our bird. Between pictures we interpreted the bird and our presence to bemused local diners, who while enchanted with the story, perhaps were less impressed with being accosted on the way to their restaurant within sight and smell of the large aforementioned dumpster…

Cattle Tyrant ticked we headed south.

An unplanned rest stop at a rest stop meant new birds: Brewers Blackbird, Hooded Oriole, Green Jay, Collared Dove and Golden fronted Woodpecker. Orange crowned Warblers plus Northern Parulas were seen with a few other species.