About the Cover…
Whooping Cranes at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
Photographer Tom L. Hausler
“Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is best known as the wintering home of the last wild flock of endangered whooping cranes.” —https://www.fws.gov/refuge/aransas
Betsy Cross
Our December Magazine cover features an extraordinary scene: an adult Whooping Crane teaching her youngster to catch crabs. This image, taken by Hays County Master Naturalist Tom Hausler at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in January 2018, is a glimpse into a unique wildlife experience. Tom captured this picture and the other stunning photographs below during a series of photo tours led by Kevin Sims, a guide specializing in photography trips at Aransas.
Kevin's tours are designed with photographers in mind. His boat has space for up to five people, complete with room for their equipment and tripods—ideal for an all-day adventure in the bays and along the south shoreline of Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The tours start early, around 5:00 a.m., reaching the best spots at sunrise. This timing is perfect for capturing the whooping cranes as they arrive to feed on crabs in the shallow marshes’ brackish waters. As soon as the birds are spotted, Kevin plants his boat in the soft sand to create a stable platform for the photographers to take their shots and to get a close look at these endangered birds in their winter home.
The best months to see whooping cranes at Aransas are from late November to mid-March. For anyone interested in seeing these cranes or joining a photography tour, more information is available at https://birdinglocations.com/where-to-see-whooping-cranes-in-texas/. It's a chance to not only see these birds up close but also to learn about and contribute to their conservation.
“The first time is always the best.” —Tom Hausler
The following photographs were taken during Tom’s first whooping crane photo shoot at Aransas. The top photo in this series of a juvenile and an adult together in flight was featured in Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.
