I would very much appreciate advice for birding in South Texas.

My wife and I have booked a flight to San Antonio for the last two weeks of January where we will drive a rental car. We will spend five nights at Casa Santa Ana near McAllen directly across from the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge where we will spend our five days with photographer Alan Murphy.

Obviously, we will visit the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge. For anyone with experience birding in South Texas, what are the other locations where we should spend our time? Do you recommend stopping at Aransas NWR on our way to or from San Antonio and are we likely to see whooping cranes there? I am particularly interested in recommendations for the most productive locations and can pursue those leads on the internet.

Incidentally, flights to San Antonio are quite reasonable in January (although fares have increased a bit recently) and hotels near the Rio Grande appear to be priced well below national average for anyone interested in birding in South Texas.

Elston