Birding Trip in Corpus Christi, TX

Dates: September 29-Oct 2, 2025
Price: $950 per person
Deposit: $500

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. 

Following the annual Celebration of Flight festival, join local photographer and Swarovski Optik Naturalist Clay Taylor and HawkWatch International’s own Dave Oleyar to experience the magic of migration during a four-day birding tour. From general birding in the morning to expert hawkwatching instruction in the afternoons, you’re sure to see more than you could on your own. Plus, you’ll be able to sit back and relax in a spacious van while we do the driving, allowing you to (safely) take in all the birds, all the time. We’ll also provide a boxed lunch each day, so you don’t have to take a break from the action.

What to Expect
You’ll be whisked away early each morning, heading to the best spot to bird that day, leveraging the expertise of your expert guides. You’ll have the chance to visit local birding hotspots around the Coastal Bend, targeting its South Texas specialties such as the Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, and Olive Sparrow. Other possible birding locations include Blucher Park, Tule Lake, and Mustang Island, the site of the reintroduction of the Aplomado Falcon. Other species you may have the chance to see include the Roseate Spoonbill, Seaside Sparrow, Clapper Rail, and American Oystercatcher.

After a few hours of general birding, you’ll return to the platform at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch located in Hazel Bazemore Park for expert hawkwatching instruction and lunch. Timed for the peak Broad-winged Hawk migration, you’ll have a fantastic chance of seeing tens of thousands of the species overhead on any given day. We’ll have you back to your hotel each afternoon around 2pm, but those who are happy to hawkwatch are welcome to stay with us until the count concludes around 5:00pm.

If conditions allow, we will also offer an opportunity to discover nocturnal species one evening. This is an optional activity that will start no earlier than 8pm and conclude no later than 10pm.

What’s Included

• Guide costs
• Daily transportation in a spacious private van from Best Western Northwest Corpus Christi Inn & Suites*
• Boxed lunch

What’s Not Included

• Accommodations*
• Gratuities for guides
• Meals other than lunch*
• Alcohol
• Other personal items

*Although lodging is not included, we highly recommend staying at the Best Western. This is where we will pick up and drop off all registrants each day, and the hotel will have breakfast ready ahead of your departure each morning.

Your Guides

Dave Oleyar—HWI Tour Guide
Dave’s spark bird was the Scissor-tailed Flycatchers he’d see flying around in the open fields surrounding the neighborhood where he grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in the 1980’s. He matched this bird and others to some Audubon plates that his grandparents had sent, and that was when paying attention to different kinds of birds began for Dave. Decades later, he still loves watching birds and sharing his fascination with them with others in formal and informal settings. Now a broadly trained ecologist with expertise in population ecology, avian conservation, climate change impacts on wildlife, and urban ecology, Dave leads research teams focused on how these issues influence birds of prey. He’s been with HawkWatch International since 2013.

Clay Taylor—Swarovski Tour Guide
Clay Taylor became a birder in the mid-1970s, both watching and photographing birds in the Northeastern United States. Nearly a half-century later, he still enjoys hawk- and birdwatching and photography, and has played key roles in establishing hawkwatch sites and connecting the people that flock to them.

Hold your spot by registering here and placing a $500 deposit.

Terms & Conditions

1. A deposit of $500 is required to reserve your spot and is subject to HWI’s Field Trip and Tour Policies. Final payment is due two weeks prior to the first day of the tour.
2. This tour is limited to 8 people to ensure an intimate, high-quality experience for everyone. The minimum number of participants is 4. In the event the minimum is not reached, we will refund your deposit of $500.
3. In the event of poor weather or other suboptimal conditions at the HawkWatch, we may opt to continue birding elsewhere. We’ll be flexible so you see as much as possible during your time with us.

Thank you to Swarovski for partnering with us on this event.