Our first full week along the Texas Gulf Coast whizzed by. Even though our weather was a mixed bag of cold, warm, sunny, gloomy, wet and dry, I have no complaints. It’s been a great week exploring some familiar turf.
This is our third January hanging out in Rockport, Texas, just down the road from Goose Island State Park. We’re staying in a private RV park surrounded by some familiar faces and some new faces. Although the RV park is much the same, there’s a few subtle improvements which are always appreciated. There’s also a few changes in the neighborhood, a couple of blocks away from the park.
The first thing I noticed were the lack of sandhill and whooping cranes hanging around the neighborhood. Turns out, one of the homes in the area changed ownership, and the new owners decided not to keep up with a feeder. The locals aren’t too happy anyway about all the tourists and photographers parking in the middle of the road to capture glimpses of the rare, endangered whooping crane. Plus, Texas has received an abundance of rain resulting in a bumper crop of Blue Crab, the whoopers favorite.
I’m not sure what it is about these coastal birds that has me intrigued, fascinated, and totally enthralled. It’s captivating to watch these magnificent birds take flight or land. They exude a sense of weightlessness and perhaps even power that is mesmerizing. Yep, I’ve definitely developed a passion for cranes.
I’m a little disappointed I won’t be able to photograph these gorgeous birds this visit as easily as I did last year. I might make a special trip out to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge or I’ll focus on photographing some of the other beautiful coastal birds. There’s no shortage of birds along the Texas Gulf Coast and a little patience and perseverance usually pays off.
Who can pass up an opportunity to capture the pink beauty of a Roseate Spoonbill?
I find Egrets to be particularly elegant. I wonder how they manage to stay so white. If only I knew their secret so I could have the same results with my socks 😉
Week one was off to a fabulous start, and thus I can’t wait to see what I’ll discover over the next three weeks. Fingers crossed the weather will cooperate. If you’d like more information on the endangered whooping crane, you can read my post here (I give some statistics) and here (my second trip) and here (my visit to the International Crane Foundation).
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