Mallard
My logoMark Casebeer Photography
purple myphotosign

Blog Posts

whooping-5896

Whooping Cranes

The Whooping Cranes breed in Canada's Northwest Territories and winters on the Gulf Coast, primarily in Texas's Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

I got a tip from a resident that some of the Whooping Cranes have been spotted close to The Big Tree, near Goose Island State Park. I got up early and arrived an hour before sunrise. As daylight started to appear, there was some dense fog. I had 4 Whoopers fly over the top of me towards another open field.

I watched for a minute and then drove one road over and spotted the Cranes. I took a few shots, but the fog was still too dense.

dscf4505-10

After about an hour, the fog started to clear, and the sun began to light up the fields. I didn't see the Cranes, so I drove around the block trying to find them again. As I turned the corner driving along the coastline, I spotted 4 Cranes in an empty area between two houses.

Wow, what a sight! I was reasonably close; I shut off my Jeep and slowly got out. They were bigger than I imagined, and they didn't even seem to know I was there.

There was a large stand of tall grasses and reeds in front of me, so I could slowly move around without spooking them. I watched and photographed them for about two hours.

whooping-5574 whooping-5893 silhouettes-7464_r1uarh

I did get to witness a territorial confrontation with a Blue Heron.

All along, there was a large Blue Heron about 30 yards from the cranes.

The Heron, minding its own business when suddenly one of the Cranes started to walk towards the Heron. I didn't know what to expect. As the Crane approached closer, the Heron ruffled up its feathers. They stared at each other for what seemed like a few minutes, and then the Crane took another step forward. The Heron stood up nose to nose to the Crane, and after a few tense moments, the Heron backed down and walked away.

That was pretty exciting to watch and being able to photograph the event.

whooping-6004 whooping-5985 whooping-5977

Photography should be fun! It's not about the phone or camera brand you're using. Always remember, your best photographs are the result of one thing, making an effort to get out and shoot.

Comments always welcomed.

Mark

Prev Post
46 / 53
Next Post