April in Austin - Whooping Cranes? (1 Viewer)

Hey all,

I'm new to this forum and new to birding. I recently took an interest in birding after spending a weeked hiking and watching California Condors. I'm finding that my interest in this hobby is leading me down the path of endangered/conserved species.

I'll be in Austin for one week in the middle of April for a convention, and I've got it in my head that I need to see a Whooping Crane! I likely won't have time to make it to down to the Rockport/Aransas area, so I'm hoping to catch some Whoopers migrating north. Is there any area in or near Austin that is known to be a stopover spot for Whoopers during migration season?

I think your chances of that are slim and none, slim being out of town, as they say. (JK!)8-P

I don't live in Texas, but I assume that the Whoopers, which we did see at Aransas one year in January, are probably a thousand miles north of there by April. Also highly doubtful that they would head west through a city on their way.

The good news is that you'll probably have lots of luck roaming any park or thick green area down there at that time of year, during the peak of Spring Migration. If you find the local Audubon office, or check out TEXBIRDS, you can get an idea in advance of what to look for and where.

good luck!