Schedule At a Glance:
Please note, this schedule is from the 2024 Festival. The 2025 Festival will have similar experiences plus some new, exciting things!
Day 1 TICKETS AVAILABLE AT PORT ARANSAS CIVIC CENTER, 710 W. AVENUE A
- Volunteer Work Day at the Nature Preserve
- 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- Whooping Crane Boat Tour
- 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Mustang Boat Tour
- 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Sunset Wine & Dolphin Cruise
- 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- UTMSI Public Lecture Series
- 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Day 2 TICKETS AVAILABLE AT PORT ARANSAS CIVIC CENTER, 710 W. AVENUE A
- King Ranch Tour
- 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Whooping Crane Boat Tour
- 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- Workshop: "Seriously? You Want to Photograph Birds?" with David Sikes and Anthony Clements
- 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
- Explore Lamar Peninsula with Mikael Behrens
- 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Lecture: "Why Do We Have Whooping Cranes in Port Aransas and How Do We Keep Them?" with Dr. Elizabeth Smith, International Crane Foundation
- 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- Workshop: "Photographing Birds in Flight" with Ruth Hoyt
- 10 a.m. to noon
- Amos Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) Tour
- 10 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.
- 1 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
- 2 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
- Island Birding Bus Tour
- 10 a.m. to noon
- Lecture: "Big White Birds: Helping Whooping Crane's Counterparts in Asia" with Dr. George Archibald, International Crane Foundation
- 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- Book Signing: Dr. George Archibald, "My Life with Cranes"
- 11:30 a.m. to noon
- Mustang Boat Tour
- 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.
- Workshop: "Bird Identification (101) with Special Emphasis on Shorebirds" with Gene Blacklock
- 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- Lecture: "Beachcombing the Gulf of Mexico" with Jace Tunnell
- 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
- Lecture: "Iconic Birds: The Black Skimmer" with David Newstead
- 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Bird Photography Boat Tour with Ruth Hoyt and Scott Holt
- 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Workshop: "What To Bring and What To Know" with Clay Taylor
- 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunset, Wine & Dolphin Cruise
- 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Art Class: Wine, Whine, & Design
- 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- "The Play That Goes Wrong" at Port Aransas Community Theatre
- 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Day 3 TICKETS AVAILABLE AT PORT ARANSAS CIVIC CENTER, 710 W. AVENUE A
- King Ranch Tour
- 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Fennessey Ranch Bus Tour
- 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Whooping Crane Boat Tour
- 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- Bird Spotting and Photographing Trip with Clay Taylor
- 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
- Explore Lamar Peninsula with Mikael Behrens
- 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Field Trip: Shorebird Identification with Gene Blacklock
- 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- Workshop: "Basic Lightroom Photo Processing" with Ruth Hoyt
- 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- Discover the Lighthouse Trails Kayak Tour with Coastal Bend Kayaks
- 9 a.m. to noon
- Lecture: "Gulf Coast Whooping Cranes: A Conservation Story That is Still Being Written" with Dr. Carter Crouch, International Crane Foundation
- 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
- Amos Rehabilitation Keep Tour
- 10 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.
- 1 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
- 2 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
- 3 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
- Island Birding Bus Tour
- 10 a.m. to noon
- Mustang Boat Tour
- 10:30 a.m. to noon
- 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Lecture: "Whooping Crane and Wood Stork: Two White Wading Birds Coming Back From The Brink" with Dr. Dale Gawlik, Harte Research Institute
- 11 a.m. to noon
- Nature Preserve Walking Tour with Ray Dillahunty, Master Naturalist
- 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
- Workshop: "Understanding Whooping Cranes: Using Behavior Techniques to Address Conservation Needs" with Dr. Anne Lacy and Dr. Elizabeth Smith, International Crane Foundation
- 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
- Lecture: "We're Still Learning and Whooping Cranes Still Sometimes Surprise Us" with Sara Zimorski, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
- 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
- Lecture: "Whooping Crane Legal Issues" with Kristina Alexander, Harte Research Institute
- 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Lecture: "Can Zoos Help Save Whooping Cranes?" with Chris Corpus, Dallas Zoo
- 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunset, Wine & Dolphin Cruise
- 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Wine, Whine & Design
- 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- "The Play That Goes Wrong" at Port Aransas Community Theatre
- 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Day 4 TICKETS AVAILABLE AT PORT ARANSAS CIVIC CENTER, 710 W. AVENUE A
- King Ranch Tour
- 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Workshop: "Seriously? You Want to Photograph Birds?" with David Sikes and Anthony Clements
- 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
- Fennessey Ranch Tour—Drive Yourself to The Ranch
- 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- Nature Preserve Walk with Dr. Joan Holt and Scott Holt
- 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
- Whooping Crane Boat Tour
- 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Island Birding Bus Tour
- 10 a.m. to noon
- Amos Rehabilitation Keep
- 10 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.
- 1 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
- "The Play That Goes Wrong" at Port Aransas Community Theatre
- 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.