Whooping Crane Bird Photography
The Texas gulf coast is home to one of the rarest birds in North America, the Whooping Crane. These 5ft tall bright white birds, that winter along the coastline, have come back from the brink of extinction. In the 1940’s there were believed to be about 20 birds left and with the work of captive breeding programs, there are now about 800 worldwide.
Join wildlife photographer Jennifer Leigh Warner as we photograph whooping cranes in the Aransas Wildlife Refuge. We will charter a private boat which will take us closer to these rare birds as they hunt for blue crabs in the shallow waters.
We will also spend time in a private photo blind in order to get up-close portraits of the whooping cranes. Additionally we will travel to some other birding hotspots to look for other wildlife that winters along the Texas Gulf Coast.
Wildlife often seen includes.
Whooping Cranes, Sandhill Cranes, White-tailed Deer, Brown Pelicans, White Pelicans, Kestrels, Loggerhead Shrike, Crested CaraCara, Mockingbirds, Vultures, Nine-banded Armadillo, Javelina, Sanderlings, Black Necked Stilts, Dolphins, Roseate Spoonbill and Osprey.
About Your Leader…
Jennifer Leigh Warner is a fine art conservation wildlife photographer, writer, public speaker and workshop leader, living in Central Texas and specializes in creating meaningful images that conveys a message of hope for the natural world. Jennifer feels strongly that by sharing these images of beautiful animals in their natural environment, she can inspire those around her to preserve the world that we share with all living creatures.
Jennifer is a Certified Texas Master Naturalist, an Ambassador for Nature First and is on the Board of Directors for the North American Nature Photographers Association as well as serves as their chair of the Ethics Committee.
Jennifer works closely with conservation organizations to help support their missions to protect wildlife and the world around us. She believes that photography is a powerful tool to share these stories, educate photo viewers on important topics and inspire change.
Jennifer’s work has been published in Outdoor California, Gizmodo, the NANPA Expressions Magazine, Outdoor Photographer Magazine, WIRED, The New Yorker, National Geographic Online and Wild Planet Photo Magazine among others.
You can learn more about Jennifer and the conservation work that she does by visiting her website at www.experiencewildlife.com
5 Participants
$1,900
$200 Single supplement
JAN. 5TH – 8TH, 2026
Day 1 ( Jan 5)
Arrive at Corpus Christi International Airport where your tour leader will pick you up.
Transfer to Rockport based hotel
After checking into hotel we will have a introductory briefing
Afterwards we will have a welcome dinner
Day 2 ( Jan 6)
We will spend our morning out on a private boat charter photographing whooping cranes in the Aransas Wildlife Refuge
After a short break to refresh and recharge out to the private photo blinds to get close up photos of the whooping cranes, sandhill cranes and white-tail deer.
Day 3 ( Jan 7)
We will spend our morning photographing around the birding hotspots in Rockport, TX
After grabbing some lunch we will take a short ferry ride to Port Aransas to photograph the birds that live in this area. Birds can include, black necked stilts, osprey, white pelicans, spoonbills and you may even see a rare American Flamingo if you are lucky.
Day 4 ( Jan 8)
We will spend our last morning out at the Aransas Wildlife Refuge. This is our last chance to see whooping cranes, but we may also encounter armadillo, javelina, crested caracara, kestrel, spoonbill and American alligators.
After a farewell lunch, we will drive back to Corpus Christi for our late afternoon flights home.
- Accommodations day 1-4
- All ground transportation
- Expert guiding service
- Professional photography mentoring
- Camaraderie with other women photogrpahers
- Flights to and from Corpus Christi International Airport
- All meals (breakfast may be included at hotel)
- National Park Pass or $3 entrance fee per day
- Gratuities
Easy, walking short distances on flat surfaces.