Facilities and Activities:
National Park Location Maps:
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National Park Photo Gallery:
volunteer positions open
National Park Event Calendar:
volunteer positions open
Nearby Parks:
Goose Island State Park
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Airport
Copano Bay Causeway State Park
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| National Park Overview: |
 | The bugle of an endangered whooping crane echoes across the far reaches of the marsh. Only at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge do North America's tallest birds find an enduring winter stronghold. Here, too, pelicans, herons, egrets, roseate spoonbills, ducks, and geese dine in brackish waters and salt marshes teeming with fishes, blue crabs, and clams. On shore, javelinas, bobcats and deer wander oak woodlands. Alligators peer from still waters of ponds and sloughs. Ringed by tidal marshes and broken by long, narrow sloughs, this 59,000-acres refuge sprawls mostly across the Blackjack penisula, where grasslands, live oaks, and redbay thickets cover deep sandy soils. Storms and waters of the Gulf of Mexico constantly reshape this vital refuge, home to over 390 different bird species. <P> |
| Nature of the Area: |
| Strong winds push the bay waters over low-lying shores, forming brackish tidal marshes among the short, salt-tolerant vegetation. It is this habitat that attracts thousands of migratory birds. On their journey between North and Central America, warblers concentrate on the refuge from mid-April to early May. Mild winters, bay waters, and abundant food supplies attract over 392 species of birds to Aransas, including pelicans, herons, egrets, spoonbills, shorebirds, ducks, and geese.
The endangered whooping crane makes these same saltwater marshes their winter feeding grounds. Productive tidal flats provide clams and crabs for the whoopers to eat.
One of the rarest creatures in North America, the whooping crane is making a comeback from a low of 15 birds in 1941. Whooping cranes nest in Canada during the summer and winter at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The cranes can usually be seen from the Observation Tower from late October to mid-April. (For information about commercial boat tours to see the cranes and other birds, call the Rockport Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-242-0071.)
Moving inland, the water changes from salty flats to freshwater ponds. These ponds teem with life. Created by rain and ranging in size from puddles to lakes, they are a haven for alligators, turtles, frogs, snakes, and birds. |
| Reviews By Park Visitors: |
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| | Note to Park related businesses:
List your vacation cabin, weekend getaway, log cabin rental, romantic cottage, vacation home, resort, hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, country inn, campground, RV park, horseback riding stable, canoe livery, river rafting, outfitting, sporting goods store, guide service, RV rental or any other park related activity, park related attraction or park related service on Google or StateParks.com. (more).... |
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| Related Links: |
| Wild Texas: Aransas National Wildlife Refuge - Austwell, Texas - Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, located in Austwell, Texas. Activities: birding, fishing, hiking, nature study, picnicking, birding, wildlife observation | | Aransas NWR - Information about the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. ... When You Visit, Volunteering at the Refuge. The Aransas National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1937 to protect the vanishing ... | | Wildlife Watcher Aransas National Wildlife Refuge - ... Eagles Elk Wolves More Featured Articles Join Forum Selected Reading CritterFinder SM Feedback Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Aransas NWR is perhaps best known as the winter home for a large ... | | Aransas National Wildlife Refuge - Aransas National Wildlife Refuge The Aransas National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1937 to protect the vanishing wildlife of coastal Texas. It is an ever-changing land and is still being ... | | aransas national wildlife refuge(anwr) - GEMS - ARANSAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE(ANWR) General GEMS information; Texas GEMS Index; Texas GEMS Map; The Gulf of Mexico Program (GMP) Contact Geographic Information Ecological and Cultural ... | | Aransas National Wildlife Refuge - The Caller-Times virtual tour of The Aransas National Wildlife Refuge For years the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge has played an important role in saving the whooping crane population. The 100 ... | | Aransas_National_Wildlife_Refuge - ... Texas Park Hike Guides Angelina National Forest Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Bastrop State Park Big Thicket: Big Sandy ... Village Creek State Park Aransas National Wildlife Refuge P.O. Box ... | | Travel to Texas - Aransas National Wildlife Refuge - Travel to Texas,Aransas National Wildlife Refuge ... Car Rental Hotels Travel To Texas Back to Texas Page Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Description: The bugle of an endangered whooping ... | | Aransas National Wildlife Refuge: Welcome - Take a short tour of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge: Winter Home of the Whooping Crane. ... About Welcome the the Online Aransas National Wildlife Refuge The Aransas National Wildlife ... | | DogFriendly.com's Travel Guide: Aransas National Wildlife Refuge - ... and Canada Travel Guides for Dogs of ALL Sizes! Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and other Places to take your Pet in ... City Guide Page Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Aransas National ... |
| Directions: |
| From Rockport, take Highway 35 north approximately 20 miles. Turn right on FM 774, go approximately 9 miles to FM 2040. Turn right and follow FM 2040 for about 7 miles to refuge entrance. |
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