Saturday, Feb 22, 2025 at 6:00am
Each year since 1996, the Whooping Crane Festival in Port Aransas, Texas has celebrated the annual return of the cranes to their wintering habitat at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. In 2025, the festival is back and ready to celebrate its 28th anniversary!
The four-day event will feature renowned speakers, birding trips, boating trips, nature tours, photography workshops, a trade show, and much more.
Schedule of Events:
6 am to 1 pm - King Ranch Tour
6:30 am to 1 pm - Fennessey Ranch Bus Tour
7 am to 11:30 am - Whooping Crane Boat Tour
10 am to 2:30 pm - Whooping Crane Boat Tour
12:30 pm to 5 pm - Whooping Crane Boat Tour
7:30 am to 1 pm - Explore Lamar Peninsula with Mikael Behrens
8 am to 10 am - Hop Aboard The R/V Katy For A "Scientific" Experience
11 am to 1 pm - Hop Aboard The R/V Katy For A "Scientific" Experience
2:30 pm to 4:30 pm - Hop Aboard The R/V Katy For A "Scientific" Experience
8 am to 10 am - "Photographing Birds in Action" workshop with Kathy Adams Clark
8:30 am to 9:30 am - Birds of Prey Show by Wildlife Revealed
11:30 am to 12:30 pm - Birds of Prey Show by Wildlife Revealed
2:30 pm to 3:30 pm - Birds of Prey Show by Wildlife Revealed
8:30 am to 10 am - "My 25 Year Romance with Birds" by Ruth Hoyt
10 am to noon - Island Birding Bus Tour
10 am to 1 pm - Discover the Lighthouse Trails with Coastal Bend Kayak Tours
10:30 am to 11:30 am - "A Tale of Two Cranes" with Sara Zimorski, Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries
11 am to 1 pm - Walking Tour with Texas Master Naturalist Ray Dillahunty
12 pm to 2 pm - "Building Blocks of Crane Behavior" by Katie Fernald, Stephanie Schmidt, and Paityn Bower
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm - "Trends and Prospects for Saving the Whooping Crane" with Dr. Robin Doughty, University of Texas
1 pm to 2 pm - Book Signing with Michael Forsberg: "Into Whooperland"
2:15 pm to 3:30 pm - "Birdie Big Year: Elevating Women Birders" featuring Tiffany Kersten
3 pm to 6 pm - Photography Lessons on the Water
4 pm to 5 pm - "Exploring the Relationships Between Whooping Cranes and Indigenous Peoples in South Texas" with Rose Elizondo
4 pm to 7 pm - "Photographing Backlit Birds" workshop and field trip with Jennifer Leigh Warner
4:30 pm to 6 pm - Sunset, Wine & Dolphin Cruise
5 pm to 8 pm - Wine, Whine & Design
