Whooping Cranes

These are images of a few of the Whooping Cranes from the only wild migrating flock in the world. In winter about 275 - 300 cranes return to Aransas NWR from Alberta, Canada. The number has been slowly but steadily increasing over the years. An ongoing extreme drought in the area has reduced the numbers of blue crabs that are the favorite food of the Whooping Cranes, forcing them to forage more widely on the refuge.