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I'm planning on flying into San Antonio, Texas and driving to the Aransas Refuge in February.
Does anyone have recommendations for photo ops on the way or near Aransas?
Since I'm driving from San Antonio I can detour a reasonable distance.
Thanks

I’m not sure what you would call a “reasonable distance”, but check out the website for the Laguna Seca Ranch near Edinburg - amazing photo ops for some birds you’re not likely to find elsewhere.

There's also Santa Clara Ranch in the same area. Hector lives down there and he might know better what is good in February.

Richard,

I live in Rockport, TX, the nearest town to Aransas NWR and have been to the refuge many times. Overall I would rate it on the poor side for bird photography. If you go to the refuge by car expecting to photographing Whooping Cranes, forget about it. At best you would get distant views of the cranes.

For the best opportunity to photograph Whooping Cranes I recommend this:
http://texasbirdingphotos.net/cgi-bin/p ... page=18892
It's kind of pricey but I can all but guarantee you that you will walk away very happy if you take one of the Jack Flash boat trips. Kevin will get you into places where you can get outstanding photo ops for Whooping Cranes and many other birds. If you have a lens with a focal length of 400 mm or longer you should get good shots.

There are a couple of other bird tour boats that leave from Rockport available. If you google "rockport whooping crane boats" you will find them. Your chances of seeing Whooping Cranes are excellent but you will not get photos anywhere near as good as you can on the Jack Flash.

There are a few places near Rockport where you can photograph the cranes without going on a boat but the photos would not be near as good as what you can get from a boat trip.

If you want other info on opportunities near Rockport feel free to PM me or send and email to brucesherman@msn.com.