These are images of a few of the Whooping Cranes from the only wild migrating flock in the world. This winter about 275 cranes returned 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. Thus, they are more scattered this year, and this is the first time we have not seen a family (both adults and a juvenile) together. All of these images were made from the M/V Skimmer, a birding tour boat owned and skippered by Captain Tommy. Highly recommended!