Join us in celebrating the return of the endangered Whooping Cranes to their winter home in South Texas.

"The Whooping Crane Festival is a wonderful opportunity to experience the world's rarest crane species and a plethora of wildlife including peregrine falcons, roseate spoonbills, cinnamon teal, even alligators."

George Archibald
Co-Founder, International Crane Foundation

Floating high above the continent, the Whooping Crane embarks upon its 2,500-mile trek in October to winter on the Texas Gulf Coast. Families, twins, and adolescents alike, are among the scarce crane population that seem like royalty to us. They preen, dance through the  marshes, sing to communicate and search for the perfect meal as they live their lives in the wide outdoors. The Whooping Crane stands tall - each of them dignitaries, some as tall as seven feet. As our festival celebrates 16 years, we admire and appreciate the dedication of each and every birder, researcher and teacher.

Located in the central flyway, Port Aransas on Mustand Island has a plethora of permanent residents and thousands of migrant species that consider this the perfect rest stop. With over six designated birding preserves, each site was designed to give birders an up-close adventure, while observing hundreds of majestic birds in their natural habitat. You'll find 'Port A' is a sanctuary for birds and spectators alike.