Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

On our way east, we're returning to the Gulf Coast, but this year have added a stop near Corpus Christi.  We're staying in Rockport, a small, unassuming vacation town near Port Aransas.  We have had only one day here, so we used it to scout the area for a longer stay when we return west.

As it turned out, Rockport is celebrating "Lamardi Gras" this weekend -- a Mardi Gras festival to benefit the volunteer fire department for the local community of Lamar.  A Mardi Gras parade was held Friday night, and this morning, Saturday, February 15, 2020, the fun continued at Rockport Market Days at the Rockport Harbor.  We stumbled on the craft and food fair as we were driving north to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, and decided to stop by to see what it was all about.

There was a very interesting and eclectic gathering of craft vendors and food vendors.  We bought some unique balsamic vinegar, scrumptious tamales, and some unusual jellies and salsa.  After stashing our booty in the Jeep, we walked across to the harbor to take a look.  There is a pretty little beach on the mint-blue-green water:

Continuing on our way, we arrived, some miles north, at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge:

The refuge, which includes nearly all of 38-mile Matagorda Island, is best known for its prominent place in the American wildlife conservation movement. It was established by President Franklin Roosevelt as the Aransas Migratory Waterfowl Refuge as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife. He issued a proclamation in 1940 changing the name to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge, which embraces the wintering grounds for the whooping crane, was established just in time to help preserve the endangered species:  in 1941, only 15 whooping cranes survived in the wild.  Today, thanks to stringent conservation efforts by the Refuge, other public agencies, including Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta, Canada, the nesting habitat of the Whooping Crane's summer range, and Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in central Wisconsin, the wild whooping crane population now exceeds 800.

One of the explanatory signs in the Refuge displays the most prominent waterfowl to be seen in the refuge.  We were surprised that we actually saw all of them!

The Refuge is comprised of wetlands and barrier dunes and islands that together make up a complex web of sand, vegetation, salt water and fresh water in which animal life thrives:

The Refuge has a number of hiking trails that are strategically located for the best views of wildlife.  We decided to hike the trail recommended by the Visitor Center volunteer -- the Heron Flats Trail.  As we walked, we spotted several types of grasses growing lushly in the moist soil:

Some wildflowers are blooming, and we spotted three:

Animal life was more diverse than just waterfowl.  Kathy spotted this young alligator sunning himself on a log in one of the freshwater ponds near our hiking path:

This group of coots and a ducky friend swam nearby, diving for food.  It appeared there was much to eat, including bug life and small fish:

The most exciting encounter we had, however, was to spot this pair of whooping cranes flying along one of the small waterways near us.  Because each lifelong mated pair of whooping cranes occupy and defend a territory of about 250 acres, we realized that this is probably the only pair of the rare birds that could be spotted in the vicinity of the visitor center.

 After enjoying Heron Flats Trail, we drove down to the observation towers and boardwalk further south along the shore of Blackjack Peninsula.  The boardwalk reaches out to the beach through a rich and diverse wetland:

At the end of the boardwalk, a sandy beach graced the tree-lined shore:

We returned on the boardwalk to the observation towers and climbed them to get a broader view of the Refuge.  It stretched on for miles to the south:

By this time it was getting late and we also wanted to visit nearby Goose Island State Park, which allows active day use of a similar environment and boasts a large campground.  We popped into the entrance station and chatted with a park ranger about the campground, hiking trails in the park, and where we could put our kayaks into the bay for paddling.  The park and campground are impressive, and we decided that we should stay here on our next visit.  Because Goose Island State Park is close to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, we would be able to return to bike the Refuge's auto loop trail and kayak its waters as well.

While this wasn't a dramatic hiking outing, and we didn't have much time to explore the area, we consider this short stay a success because it gives us another destination for future adventures!