It’s August, and that means one thing—migration is on! Our crew is officially back at Hazel Bazemore Park, counting all the raptors migrating past our Corpus Christi HawkWatch. It’s a big undertaking at a site that sees over half a million raptors each season (on average)!
Luckily, we’ve got a crew with a lot of experience, including faces you’ll likely remember from seasons past.
Dane Ferrell
If you were wondering who is the birdiest guy in the birdiest city in the United States, you might have found him. We’re thrilled to welcome veteran crewmember Dane Ferrell back for his 20th season at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch this fall! When he isn’t counting at the HawkWatch, Dane offers private birding tours and teaches children about nature. Join him at the HawkWatch this fall to learn about raptors and migration!
Libby Even
Although she hasn’t been an official counter for quite as long as Dane, Libby Even is also a veteran crewmember of the Corpus Christi HawkWatch. Libby has been volunteering at the site since 1999 and celebrates her 9th season at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch this fall! Libby also spends countless hours each year helping organize the annual Celebration of Flight that occurs each September. Dont miss this year’s festival, taking place September 29-October 1!
Daniel Horton
Daniel is coming back for his 6th season at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch—and it’s all thanks to the birds! Each and every season, Daniel enjoys taking part in the community of people who sweat away the days to observe the wondrous spectacle of migration—making South Texas a second home. He’s eager to see what wild displays await this season, hoping for more single-day explosions of birds in the sky. He’s had many different favorite raptors over the years, and it’s prone to change the instant it dazzles overhead.
Kendall Watkins
Kendall grew up around Salt Lake City, Utah, where his passion for birds and nature took shape at a very young age. He began volunteering on bird-related conservation projects at the age of 12 and continued to do so until joining the Intermountain Bird Observatory in a professional setting in the spring of 2021.
Since then, Kendall has continued fieldwork on a variety of projects, including Pinyon Jay colony searches, Cassia Crossbill surveys, Bendire’s Thrasher geo-tagging/trapping, and 3 seasons of breeding bird surveys (IMBCR) throughout the Great Plains and the western United States.
His favorite raptor is the Swallow-tailed Kite! He’s looking forward most to seeing the Corpus Christi site in person and being able to witness the sheer migration spectacle that takes place there. In his free time, it’s all things birds… and herps, and butterflies, insects, plants, and whatever else he may come across while outdoors. Kendall is also a frequent user of iNaturalist, an eBird addict, and an amateur wildlife photographer/videographer.
In addition to an experienced crew and an incredible number of migrating raptors, the Corpus Christi HawkWatch is one of our most accessible migration sites, making it an ideal spot for visitors. Migration is on at the HawkWatch through November 15th, so you have plenty of time to join the crew to experience the magic of migration! That includes our annual Celebration of Flight, where you can hawkwatch with the pros, meet raptors up close, and more.
Want to support the crews? Visit hawkwatch.org/supportmigration to learn how your donation can go 3x as far this fall.
This blog was written by Kirsten Elliott, HWI’s Development & Communications Director, as well as our 2023 crewmembers. You can learn more about Kirsten here.
