Photography Info
Our tours are designed to accommodate your individual needs. We depart at a time of your choosing. The trip will last four to six hours depending on how long you want to stay out.
For photography We reccommend leaving a half hour before daylight. This allows us to be on site with the sun coming up at our backs. This can be a great time to get flight shots when the Cranes are coming out to feed.
We will stay on each subject until you are ready to move on. You won’t be on the boats schedule as you would on a larger group boat. As there is no set return time we can sit and wait for the behavior shot you are looking for.
The shallow draft of our boat allows us to get into areas that larger boats are not able to. This also allows us to get in close to the birds and have the boat sit on the bottom to make it as stable as possible.
We can accommodate up to five tripods. There are three diffent levels to shoot from. The bow and aft decks will get you level with the birds while the upper deck will get you above the grass and brush if needed.
Your tour will start at the Sea Gun Marina. We will navigate into Aranasas bay, past the Goose Island State Park. We will then travel along the South shoreline of the Aransas Wildlife Refuge to the Intercoastal Waterway. Once in the Intercoastal we will enter the main body of the Refuge. There are many opportunities to photograph Whooping Cranes as well as shore birds along the intercoastal. Your tour will take you North on the Intercoastal along the Refuge and into San Antonio Bay to the North end of the Refuge. This is the turning point of the tour. We won’t simply turn and take you home from there. We will continue to look for photography opportunities. The boat is at your disposal for the duration of your tour. We will stop for anything you like and stay at each site as long as you wish. We are on your schedule not ours.
We provide soft drinks, and bottled water. Feel free to bring whatever you wish to drink and eat.
These pictures are also taken by me with my old camera and limited knowledge.
The pictures of the Dancing Crane was a fun one for me to get. The dance does not last very long and I am usually pointing out the behavior to the customer. This one time I happened to have my camera in my hand.
The set of the Whooping Crane swimming was a very unique opportunity. I have only witnessed swimming Cranes twice.
The Flamingo was a stray that visited us for one season.
These photos are just an example of what you can get with us. The shallow draft capability of the boat allowed us to get in close enough to take these shots.
Birding Info
I find that birding trips are some of the most fun. The birders I have had aboard are very knowledgeable and very happy to share thier knowledge. Sometimes we are unable to identify a bird at first glance. If together we are unable to make an identification we can take the time to get out the books and correctly identify the bird. In the past we have followed a particular bird along the shoreline or across the canal to make a positive id.
Our tours are designed to accommodate your individual needs. We depart at a time of your choosing. The trip will last four to six hours depending on how long you want to stay out. You won’t be on the boats schedule you will be on your schedule.
The shallow draft of our boat allows us to get into areas that larger boats are not able to. This also allows us to get in close to the birds. We will also be able to tour some of the back lakes and bays that are much to shallow for large boats.
Your tour will start at the Sea Gun Marina. We will navigate into Aranasas bay, past the Goose Island State Park. We will then travel along the South shoreline of the Aransas Wildlife Refuge to the Intercoastal Waterway. Once in the Intercoastal we will enter the main body of the Refuge. There are many opportunities to photograph Whooping Cranes as well as shore birds along the intercoastal. Your tour will take you North on the Intercoastal along the Refuge and into San Antonio Bay to the North end of the Refuge. This is the turning point of the tour. We won’t simply turn and take you home from there.
We will continue to look for birding opportunities. We can enter San Antonio, Ayres and Mesquite bays to check out the lakes and reefs for feeding birds. We will the return home through Carlos bay where we will check out reefs and small islands. In San Antonio bay and Carlos bay there are Rookery islands. On these islands there are many species building nest, laying eggs, and hatching chicks. These Rookeries are only active in the Spring and Early Summer.
The boat is at your disposal for the duration of your tour. We will stop for anything you like and stay at each site as long as you wish. We are on your schedule not ours.
We provide soft drinks, and bottled water. Feel free to bring whatever you wish to drink and eat.