Northwest Territories of Canada. The best place to see the whoopers at the Refuge is from the Observation Tower. There you are likely to see a pair or family (pair with one chick) that claims the Mustang Lake area as its territory. Generally, that is all you will see from the Refuge. There are many other whoopers, but they are down the peninsula or on neighboring Matagorda Island NWR or San Jose Island.

If you are interested in seeing more than two or three birds, whooping crane boat tours are available out of Rockport and Port Aransas. Tours run from November through April. You must call for reservations.

• Pisces Charters – 800-245-9324. Runs daily at 10:00 a.m.
• The Skimmer – 877-892-4737 (toll free). 7:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m., 1 p.m.- 4 p.m.
• Wharf Cat – 800-782-2473 (Rockport), Wed-Sun, 10-2; 800-605-5448 (Pt. Aransas), Mon-Tues, 10-3:30.

Contact the Rockport Chamber of Commerce at 800-242-0071 for more visitor information.

Species you can see all year are alligators, armadillos, raccoons, white-tailed deer, javelina, feral hogs, wild turkey, bobcat, black-bellied whistling ducks, and wading birds such as egrets, herons, ibis, and roseate spoonbills.

Migratory neotropical bird species can be found any season but greater variety and numbers are observed during the fall and spring migrations.

Roseate spoonbills are found year-round on the refuge. Look into the freshwater marshes or off of the observation tower or viewing decks where they may be feeding.

The Scarlet Tanager can be found during spring and fall migration. Spring migration starts in March and goes into early May. Fall migration tends to start around August and goes through November.

Some species will migrate earlier or later. Check the species list for most common observation months.