Only seven hundred wild whooping cranes remain in the world, researchers estimate, and from November to March, nearly all of them turn up on Mustang Island in the Gulf of Mexico to overwinter around the town of Port Aransas. In the mid-twentieth century, the huge wading birds—which stand five feet tall with a nearly eight-foot wingspan and are named for their loud, bugling call—almost went extinct due to hunting and habitat loss. Conservation efforts have restored this single wild population, whose migration is such a rare sight that 1,500 people a year make the trip to Port Aransas for the city’s annual Whooping Crane Festival (February 20–23). Over those four days, visitors attend talks, help clear invasive species like Brazilian peppertree from wetlands, and take tours to view the cranes picking through the coastal marshes for blue crabs in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Brett Stawar, president of the Port Aransas Tourism Bureau, says this year’s new boat and kayak tours will afford avian admirers an even closer look. “The festival is a culmination of conservation and celebration,” he says. “Seeing these birds and hearing their calls is a reminder of their resilience.”
Southern Agenda
Big Whoop

Illustration: Tim Bower