Contact Information

Texas Nature Trackers
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
4200 Smith School Road
Austin, TX 78744
(800) 792-1112 ext. 8062
tracker@tpwd.texas.gov

 

Texas Whooper Watch:
How to Report Sightings

Texas Whooper Watch

If you spot a Whooping Crane, first visit Is it a Whooping Crane? to double-check your identification. If you still believe it is a Whooping Crane, please submit your observation(s) with photos to the Texas Nature Trackers project Texas Whooper Watch. Please include information in the projects additional observations fields with as much of the following information as possible:

  1. Count

    a) How many individuals did you observe?

  2. Distance to Animal

    a) How far was the animal from you when you observed it?

  3. Whooping Crane Habitat

    a) Select the description of the habitat in which you see the cranes

    • i) Allowed values: Farm pond, Lake or Reservoir, Stream or River, Freshwater Marsh, Brackish Marsh, Salt Marsh, Tidal Flat, Open Bay, Grassland, Cropland, Shrubland, Woodland, Other

  4. List of hazards present

    a) List any of the following that you believe may be in the vicinity of the birds: hunting, power lines, heavy public use, low-flying aircraft, disease outbreaks, other

  5. Crane behavior

    a) Select the dominant behavior of the birds as you observed them

    • i) Allowed values: Flying, Feeding, Loafing or Preening, Walking, Roosting, Other

  6. Well-being

    a) Did you observe any apparent injuries or illness in the animals observed?

This project is only for observations of Whooping Cranes that were made in Texas.  Please do not trespass on private land, and only submit observations that were legally obtained.

While we encourage the submission of photos to verify observations, we do not want anyone to try to approach whooping cranes for the purpose of photography.  Observers should photograph and observe whoopers from the vantage point at which you first see them.  Do not try to approach more closely, and, if you are closer than 2000', please do not get out of your vehicle, boat, etc.  If your camera does not collect telephoto images, it would still be helpful for you to photograph the habitat and setting in which you see the cranes.

By adding your observations to this project, you are giving the curators and affiliated institutions permission to use the observations for conservation and research purposes.  This use includes the potential back up of photographs for verification purposes, but does not grant permission for the commercial use of photographs.

For questions specific to this project, please email: tracker@tpwd.texas.gov