CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Just ten years ago there were about half as many whooping cranes migrating to South Texas for the winter. Last year, they spent their time at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in record numbers.
Dr. Wade Harrell with U.S. Fish and Wildlife told 3NEWS, "We just finished analyzing the data for that and are really happy to report that we had a record number of whooping cranes that wintered with us here on the Texas coast at 543 birds."
Experts at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Austwell said the whooping crane migratory population has increased more than 4% a year for the last 50 years. They usually arrive in South Texas in the fall, then make their way to Canada after the winter to breed.
Dr. Harrell mentioned that the record numbers are a long time coming. "This has been a long-term trend. Whooping cranes were very near extinction back in the 1940s and 50s, with less than 20 birds here. So, it's a pretty big success story," he said.
Dr. Harrell also said the population more than doubled since he started tracking here ten years ago. Whooping cranes come to South Texas during the winter for the plentiful seafood and ideal weather. Winter Storm Uri changed things when it hit in 2021.
"The whooping cranes kind of took advantage of the situation and they aren't usually big fish eaters, but we did see them really utilize cold killed and stunned fish during that time period. So, a little bit of a diet shift during the freeze," Dr. Harrell explained.
Dr. Harrell also pointed out how popular whooping cranes are for bird watchers, especially now with those record numbers. He said it's good for the local economy when they visit to see them during their migration here.
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