April16, 2018 Monday Birding Boat Tour Rockport TX

We were part of a group of ten on board "The Skimmer" out of Rockport TX finding rookeries.  Finding a Whooping Crane on the shore of San Antonio Bay/Aransas National Wildlife Refuge would be a big BONUS!

It was a Bonus day.  The boat captain found a sub-adult crane close enough to the shore that we had a great view.  A family of three was also found much farther away using spotting scopes.

Sub Adult Whooping Crane: it has left its parents and is on his own.

Usual migration is the end of March/first of April.  Probably weather in the north (Wisconsin/Canada) has  slowed the migration.

The boat captain steered us to several smaller rookeries, which is a nesting site for herons and egrets.

Roseate Spoonbills, part of a rookery.

Harvesting Oysters.  Each boat is allowed 50 50-lb bags per day.

An all-natural oystercatcher:   American Oystercatcher

Entire rookery on small island.  Birding organization added the perches after Hurricane Harvey took out all the shrubbery/bushes.

A group of three petroleum drilling platforms that were brought from the Gulf of Mexico to the shipping channel at Corpus Christi.

A single drilling platform; it is difficult to estimate the size and height. Something I read indicates it may be 40-stories high.

It was a beautiful day to be on the water.  The rookery cruise was about 3 and 1/2 hours.  We wore jackets even though the temperature was about 72 degrees.