3 Days in Port Aransas

I spent three days in Port Aransas last week photographing whooping cranes, songbirds, waterfowl and water birds.  The  first day dawned a beautiful red to gold to yellow morning and then turned to clouds which persisted for most of the trip.  Nevertheless, it is hard to fail when photographing in the Port Aransas and Rockport area.  Never mind that we bypassed the marinas on foggy mornings (one of my favorites shoots), we still had plenty of subjects.  I will have groups in that area again this week and next, so January promises to be lots of fun.

Here are some of my favorite photos from last week.  Don’t forget to click on the photos to open them in a larger, sharper format for viewing.

On a cool, foggy afternoon, the night-herons came out of the woods to warm in a spot of afternoon sun.
On a cool, foggy afternoon, the night-herons came out of the woods to warm in a spot of sun.
Laughing gull resting on a huge granite boulder at the Port Aransas jetties.
Laughing gull resting on a huge granite boulder at the Port Aransas jetties.
It was hard to find a well marked Northern Shoveler male, but this one showed its speculum while stretching.
It was hard to find a well marked Northern Shoveler male, but this one showed a beautiful speculum while stretching.
Whooping crane enjoying a blue crab in the salt marsh at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
Whooping crane enjoying a blue crab in the salt marsh at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
Whooping cranes headed from the marsh to inland sites where prescribed burns have created large, grassy openings where the birds can feed.
Whooping cranes headed from the marsh to inland sites where prescribed burns have created large, grassy openings where the birds can feed in safety.
Male Wilson's warbler feeding in the woods at Port Aransas.
Male Wilson's warbler in the woods at Port Aransas.
Yellow-rumped warblers are common in south Texas woodlands during most winters.
Yellow-rumped warblers are common in south Texas woodlands during most winters.
All of these photos were done with the Canon 7D camera and 500 mm IS lens on a Gitzo cf tripod with Wimberley head.  For the warbler shots, I added a 1.4X teleconverter and fill flash.  I had to boost the ISO settings to compensate for the cloud cover and dark shade, but the Photoshop noise reduction tool helped smooth out the noise that created.
Have a good week.
Larry