Wading Whooping Cranes at Lamar

Pam and Roy joined us for a birding trip to Lamar. Its only seven miles from our Blue Lagoons Rv Park, and so after crossing the Copano Bay Bridge we turned right and drove to St Charles Bay. The water was extremely low as a strong cold front, with high winds blew the water out. The tides are very small here, so the Coastal Winds and offshore storms are the determiner of the water levels. Reaching Eight Street we spotted three Whooping Cranes wading and feeding on objects in the water.

Renita got a picture of the family group and on the right, the young Whooper had a small crab in its beak. Bluer crabs are a great food along with fish and other seafood.

As we watched they dipped their beaks but did not catch any large blue crabs, (it is amazing watching them using their beaks to easily open a large crab). It has been verified that a Whooping Crane killed a feral hog by driving its beak into its skull!

The birds started wading further out and the male turned as if to say hurry up! We decided to leave the magnificent birds alone, (they are five feet tall) and drove further along the road. Turning the corner near Big Tree an American Kestrel perched on a Palm Tree Branch.

Its feathers were ruffed up and it had turned its back to the wind. Parking at Big Tree, located on twelfth street, we walked around the tree watching for other birds, but we didn’t spot any.

I got a picture of Renita and Pam looking at the tree and you can see they are bundled up!

As we drove back along the beachfront two American White Pelicans flew over head and we both got good pics.

A little further and a flock of Sandhill Cranes fed and a flock of seven Whooping Cranes flew across the sky.

We love taking photos of flying birds and of course to get pictures of the endangered Whooping Cranes is always a special treat!