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Whooping Crane Festival (1 Viewer)

Woodsfarer

Michigan birder
I am heading down to Texas from Michigan in a couple of weeks. Will be spending time in the San Antonio/San Marcos/Austin area and then heading down to the Whooping Crane Festival at Port Aransas. Have signed up for several trips. Any suggestions for free time birding in the area would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
Corpus Christ is right there - take avantage and bird it! Blucher Park, Hans A. Suter, Rose Hill Cemetary, Indian Point are just a few spots that immediately come to mind. When you are on Port Aransas for the festival, take the time to get to Paradise Pond and a spot that used to be called Charlie's Pasture - it now has a different name. Even if you hit these spots as part of your field trips, I would go back to each again.

Also keep an eye on Texbirds (Texas birding on the net) for what is being seen in that area. There a few birders that routinely report their sightings and at least one of them (Jon McIntyre) has a good eye for rareties!

As far as the festival, unless they have changed it since I went several years ago, they will have field trips that hit the best spots, including Paradise Pond and Charlie's Pasture, on the island. When I was there they had offered a boat tour through the mangroves and a lady named Nan (from Fennessey Ranch) was the leader - she is phenomenal! If they do the same tour and she is still leading it - take it!
 
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Visiting less than a month ago there actually was a sign for Charlie's Pasture. The weather was awful, so not much seen there by me :-C

Niels
 
I second what Laura wrote re Corpus area birding spots. All can be productive at times.

I'd also recommend a search on eBird of Nueces, Aransas, and other adjacent county observations in the weeks prior to the festival. There may be sightings of interest to you.

The Texas Ornithological Society will have a table at the festival. Stop by and say hello to our regional director, Bron Rorex.
 
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