I'm in Texas visiting my daughter. I took a trip to Aransas NWR, primarily to see if I could find some Whooping Cranes.
This place is on the Gulf of Mexico coast. I drove the long road to the end at the large viewing platform. There must have been a hundred vultures in the trees, and the platform was coated with vulture shit.
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| Black Vultures |
There were lots of pelicans in the water, visible from the platform. No cranes. So then I drove the wildlife loop. There was very little action. I did spot this Kestrel, a new species for me.
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| American Kestrel |
I reached the main road and headed back to the entrance. There were quite a few deer.
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| White-Tailed Deer |
Driving along, I found this bird along the road, another new species for me. Its size and wing feathers remind me of ospreys. My wife says it has bad hair, like Donald Trump.
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| Northern Crested Caracara |
And there was the occasional flock of White Pelicans circling.
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| White Pelicans |
And I left, not knowing whether I'd managed to photograph any whooping cranes. When I checked my images on the computer, it turns out I did capture a pair at extreme distance.
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| Whooping Cranes |
So, mission accomplished, but not exactly satisfying.
