Winter is the best time to explore the Texas coast. Many birds that breed in the northern latitudes of the US and Canada will come to the coast for a winter respite. Plus, you might run into a few wanderers from Central and/or South America. One bird in particular folks like to see is the endangered Whooping Crane. In the mid-twentieth century the number of adult Whooping Cranes was as low as 15. Through heroic efforts of the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, International Crane Foundation and a several zoos the numbers have steadily grown. There are about 700 of them in the wild now and most of those winter along the Texas coast.