Date:      Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Time:     6-8pm
Where:  Best Western Northwest Corpus Christi
Cost:       $80
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Overview

Known as America’s birdiest city, Corpus Christi is the place to be during the fall migration season. Between August and November, upwards of one million raptors can be counted at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch, with daily counts sometimes in excess of 100,000 migrants. But how can you tell what you’re looking at that high in the sky?

Join HawkWatch International’s own Jesse Watson for a pre-festival Raptor Identification class ahead of the Celebration of Flight festival. Want to practice your skills in the field? Join him the next morning for a raptor-focused field trip to Pollywog Pond and the Corpus Christi HawkWatch!

Want to practice your skills in the field with Jesse? Join him the next morning for a raptor-focused field trip to Pollywog Pond and the Corpus Christi HawkWatch for just $20 extra! 

What to Expect

Join up to 20 of your fellow bird nerds for a crash course in Raptor ID, designed to help you elevate your skills to new heights ahead of the annual Celebration of Flight festival. Jesse will lead you through the basics of raptor ID over dinner, starting with identifying groups of raptor by silhouette, before moving into more detailed descriptions of key species you’re likely to see at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch. He’ll also save time for Q+A at the end so you can have him answer all your burning raptor-related questions.

Date: Thursday, September 24, 2026
Departure: 8:00 am
Return: 12:00 pm
Price: $60 per person
Spaces Remaining: 6
REGISTER NOW

Overview
Known as America’s birdiest city, Corpus Christi is the place to be during the fall migration season. Between August and November, upwards of one million raptors can be counted at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch, with daily counts sometimes in excess of 100,000 migrants. But how can you tell what you’re looking at that high in the sky?

Join HawkWatch International’s own Jesse Watson for a half-day of hawkwatching and fall fun at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch and Pollywog Pond. Plus, you’ll be able to sit back and relax as we do all the driving, allowing you to (safely) take in all the birds, all the time.

Want to learn a little about raptor ID before you head into the field? Join Jesse for an two-hour raptor ID class the night before with a bundled ticket and save 30%!

What to Expect

After meeting your fellow participants at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch at Hazel Bazemore County park, we’ll make the quick trip to Pollywog Pond, a local hotspot for lots of raptors and other South Texas specialties such as the Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, Olive Sparrow, Clay-colored Thrush, and Couch’s Kingbird. We’ll head back to the HawkWatch after we’ve had our fill at Pollywog Pond—or if we’re hear that there’s a kettle of Broad-winged Hawks overhead at the platform. You won’t want to miss it! While the exact timing and locations may vary, our team’s commitment to leading you to the best spot to bird that day won’t.

We’ll be back at the HawkWatch by 12pm, where you’re welcome to enjoy the rest of the afternoon with our incredible crew on the platform; however, our field trip formally concludes at this time.

What’s Included

• Roundtrip transportation from the Corpus Christi HawkWatch located at Hazel Bazemore County Park

• Expert hawkwatching instruction from the HawkWatch International team

What’s Not Included

• Accommodations*

• Gratuities for guides

• Meals or snacks

• Other personal items

Terms & Conditions

1. This trip is subject to HWI’s Field Trip and Tour Policies. Payment in full is due at the time of registration

2. This tour is limited to 8 people to ensure an intimate, high-quality experience for everyone.

3. The minimum number of participants is 3. In the event the minimum is not reached, we will refund your ticket or issue a receipt for your tax-deductible donation, whichever you prefer.

4. In the event of poor weather or other suboptimal conditions, we may opt to bird elsewhere. We’ll be flexible, so you see as much as possible during your time with us.

*Although lodging is not included, we highly recommend staying at the Best Western, as we have coordinated a HawkWatch rate. You must call the Best Western at (361) 241-6363 to secure this rate. 

The raptors are ready to head south for the winter, and we’re throwing a party to send them off in style. Join HawkWatch International as we celebrate all this soaring with a little beer pouring (and more) at Lazy Beach Brewing’s Southside location in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Kick back with a cold beer (or root beer!), and some of the coolest birds around at the second-annual South Texas Soar & Pour, a laid-back evening of pre-festival food, fun, and games before the annual Celebration of Flight at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch. You’ll have the chance to meet LIVE raptors up close and compete in Bird Brains—HWI’s exclusive game show for people who think they know birds! You do not need to be a raptor expert to participate. In fact… sometimes being too birdy will be to your detriment.

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Bird Brains games will begin at 7:00 p.m. Teams can range in size from 2–6 people, and each team member should register individually. Be sure to choose your team wisely as games will range from trivia to logic to word games.

Each ticket includes:

• One complimentary beer and entry into Bird Brains 

• Meet-and-greet with live raptors from HawkWatch International

• And opportunities to learn more about how to see migrating raptors up close

REGISTER NOW to join us for this fun evening with our feathered friends!

Plus, you can upgrade your ticket to include dinner from our friends at Lazy Beaching Brewing!

Not interested in joining a team for games? You can also snag a drink-only ticket. You can still stop by to meet the birds and enjoy a beer. We’ll also be selling HWI merchandise, so come grab your gear to get ready for the weekend’s Celebration of Flight!

Thank you to our partners at Lazy Beach Brewing Company and National Wildlife Foundation

Celebrate the magic of migration during the annual Celebration of Flight Festival at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch at Hazel Bazemore County Park. This is a family-friendly event with free activities in the park that coincide with peak Broad-winged Hawk migration in September. Thanks to our partners at the Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi and the many volunteers who make this festival possible. Vendors and food trucks will be present throughout the festival.

Events That Require Registration

• 9/23 Pre-Festival Raptor ID Class

• 9/24 Pre-Festival Raptor Field Trip: Pollywog Pond & Corpus Christi HawkWatch

• 9/24 South Texas Soar & Pour

• 9/27 The Closing Kettle: Official Celebration of Flight After Party

Celebrate the magic of migration during the annual Celebration of Flight Festival at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch at Hazel Bazemore County Park. This is a family-friendly event with free activities in the park that coincide with peak Broad-winged Hawk migration in September. Thanks to our partners at the Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi and the many volunteers who make this festival possible. Vendors and food trucks will be present throughout the festival.

Events That Require Registration

• 9/23 Pre-Festival Raptor ID Class

• 9/24 Pre-Festival Raptor Field Trip: Pollywog Pond & Corpus Christi HawkWatch

• 9/24 South Texas Soar & Pour

• 9/27 The Closing Kettle: Official Celebration of Flight After Party

Celebrate the magic of migration during the annual Celebration of Flight Festival at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch at Hazel Bazemore County Park. This is a family-friendly event with free activities in the park that coincide with peak Broad-winged Hawk migration in September. Thanks to our partners at the Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi and the many volunteers who make this festival possible. Vendors and food trucks will be present throughout the festival.

Events That Require Registration

• 9/23 Pre-Festival Raptor ID Class

• 9/24 Pre-Festival Raptor Field Trip: Pollywog Pond & Corpus Christi HawkWatch

• 9/24 South Texas Soar & Pour

• 9/27 The Closing Kettle: Official Celebration of Flight After Party

You came. You saw. You conquered. Or at least you tried your best to figure out what you were looking at high in the sky. But the Celebration (of Flight) isn’t over just yet.

Join HawkWatch International, the Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi, the National Wildlife Federation, and our friends at Lazy Beach Brewing’s Downtown location for The Closing Kettle, the official closing event of the annual Celebration of Flight festival. Complete with trivia, a screening of the short film Coast to Coast, cold craft drinks, and a chance to see LIVE raptors up close. Plus, you’ll have a chance to win owlsome prizes.

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You do not need to be a raptor expert to participate… but attending the festival isn’t a bad way to brush up on your bird facts. You might just find that it gives you the leg (wing?) up on the competition.

Each ticket includes:

• One complimentary beer (or other beverage) and a chance to win owlsome trivia prizes

• Meet-and-greet with live raptors from HawkWatch International

• And opportunities to learn more about how to see migrating raptors up close

Not interested in playing trivia? You can still stop by to meet the birds and enjoy a beer, with proceeds benefiting raptor conservation in the Coastal Bend at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch. We’ll also be selling HWI merchandise, so come grab your gear if you didn’t get a chance to snag it at the festival!

Thank You to Our Sponsors Lazy Beach Brewing Company and National Wildlife Foundation.

Get your photography on at the El Potrero Nature Photography Ranch in Riviera, Texas. Led by Tom Langscheid. More details coming soon.

Join us at the South Texas Botanical Gardens in the education room at 7 PM for our October meeting. Larry Jordan will present on the AOC international trip to Tanzania with Holbrook Travel before our business meeting.

Libby Even leads a trip to the Welder Wildlife Refuge. More info coming soon.

From the Welder website:

“The Rob and Bessie Welder Wildlife Refuge is located seven miles north of Sinton, Texas, just off US Highway 77. Our location is central to the remarkable diversity found across the refuge’s 7,800 acres. The entire northern boundary is formed by the tidal Aransas River, which winds toward Copano Bay only thirteen miles downstream from our headquarters.
The refuge lies at the meeting point of two of Texas’s most iconic ecoregions – the Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes and the South Texas Plains. This convergence creates a landscape where coastal oak mottes and open prairies blend seamlessly into the tamaulipan thornscrub that defines much of South Texas.
That ecological richness is reflected in the diversity of life supported here. The refuge contains over 700 plant species, including more than 60 native grasses, along with 24 distinct soil types and nearly 30 ephemeral wetlands that shape habitat across the property. Wildlife diversity is equally impressive, with more than 60 mammal species, over 400 documented species of migratory birds, and approximately 90 species of amphibians and reptiles recorded on the refuge.
Together, these features make the Welder Wildlife Refuge one of the most biologically diverse private conservation landscapes in the region, a living laboratory for research, education, and long‑term stewardship.”

More details TBA!

Join us at the South Texas Botanical Gardens in the education room at 7 PM for our November meeting. Dr. Kristina Alexander, the endowed chair for Marine Policy and Law at the Harte Research Institute, will present on various interpretations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act before our business meeting.

Chris Saenz leads a field trip around Port Aransas. More details TBA.

Join us at the South Texas Botanical Gardens in the education room at 7 PM for our January meeting. Liam Wolff will present on the club’s international trip to Ecuador in 2026 followed by a business meeting.

Larry Jordan leads a field trip looking for waterfowl and shorebirds around the TAMUCC campus and nearby areas. More details TBA soon.

Liam Wolff leads a trip around Lake Corpus Christi State Park and nearby hotspots. More details TBA soon.

Join us at the South Texas Botanical Gardens in the education room at 7 PM for our February meeting. Larry Jordan and other local Christmas Bird Count compilers will present on the results of the 2026 Christmas Bird Count for their region before our business meeting.

Paul Swacina leads for kayakers and Brent Ortego for landlubbers. More details TBA!

Join us at the Harte Research Institute in room HRI 127 at 6PM for our April meeting. Before our business meeting, recipients of our Dr. Howard and Beth Hoekje scholarship will have the opportunity to present on their research and projects.

Join us at the South Texas Botanical Gardens in the education room at 7 PM for our May meeting. This month is our member photography showcase! Bring your photos on a flashdrive to share with the group!

Led by Libby Even and Liam Wolff. More details coming soon.

Join us at the Hazel Bazemore Park Hawkwatch Platform at 6 PM for our spring potluck picnic. Bring a dish to share, your own plate, napkins, silverware, and chair. Don’t forget a spare tupperware, because you will certainly want to bring home leftovers!