As I was planning a trip to the Texas Gulf coast, Dennis Plank posted an image of a Whooping Crane. That reminded me to add the Aransas area to my list. Thank you Dennis. 
There was a small group of cranes that gathered every day not far from where I was camping. Shooting was difficult because they were at a distance on private property. The wind was also a problem and some days lighting was impossible, either dark overcast or bright sun in the wrong direction. But I so enjoyed seeing them. These birds are still listed as endangered with an estimated population of 850.
If you are interested, here is some additional information I found on the tracking device. https://usfws.medium.com/can-you-track-me-now-6397ae7f9f22
Specific Feedback Requested
These all have significant crops and various issues so I’m mostly just sharing but feedback is always welcome.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Details vary but all shot at 600mm with significant crops.
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Beautiful job, Terri. All of them are excellent. I’m particularly fond of the first and the last with the pair of birds. How has Rockport recovered from the hurricane? I was there the same year it hit and was worried. There’s not much to stop the storm surge there.
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A very nice series Terri and thanks for sharing the info. Pretty impressive tracking device.
I like how you included the reeds in the photo using them as a blind. I am partial to the second photo although all are well done.
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Superb series with nice behavior. Excellent light and exposures on all of the birds. I think I like the last photo because of the position of both animals. As you say, these are very large crops and there is some noise although not too distracting. If you have Topaz De noise, I would consider applying it to the images to see what happens.
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Lucky to have seen these birds and get these nice shots. I especially like the first one.
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Thank you. This is the first I’ve been there since the storm so can’t compare but I didn’t see a lot evidence of the storm. But I also didn’t spend a lot of time in town.
Thank you. I also like the second one best, mostly because of the pose and feather detail but it seems to be the one that the IQ suffered the most from the crops.
Excellent results for that location (assuming it’s the one I know about) – they are some distance away and opportunities are hit-and-miss. We’ve also been wondering how Rockport has recovered.
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@Terri_Barnett Hi Terri. The town doesn’t look like much, but there’s a forested area across from the HEB between it and the water and it’s a rookery for all kinds of herons, egrets, etc. It can be worth checking into on a day when you don’t want to do too much running around.
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Thanks Dennis. I’ve left that area but I did find the rookery. I’ll post a shot from there in a bit.
