Every fall is busy at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch with huge volumes of migrating raptors—sometimes exceeding one million birds in a season, as well as the annual Celebration of Flight Festival in late September. While we can’t schedule the birds, this year, we planned even more events so that you can celebrate migration alongside us. To kick things off, we are hosting the South Texas Soar and Pour, an evening of raptor trivia, Raptor Ambassadors, and drinks to kick off the festival. Following the festival, we are hosting a birding tour throughout America’s Birdiest City so you can cross some general birding off your list, and maybe even get up to some owling too.
We hope you will join us at some of these exciting events, or just stop by, to potentially see 20,000+ migrating raptors, and say hi to the amazing crew throughout the fall season.
Libby Even
Libby Even has been hooked on hawk migration since the day she saw 100,000 birds migrate past the Corpus Christi HawkWatch in 1999. Like many, she kept coming back year after year, making memories and lifelong friends. Along with her late husband, Dane Ferrell, Libby has counted at and then coordinated the local hawkwatch site since 2006. Retiring in 2022 from a 40-year legal assisting career has allowed more time for birding, travel, and visiting hawkwatch sites throughout Mexico, Central, and South America. Libby loves to share this miracle of nature that is raptor migration with everyone. Her favorite raptor is the Harpy Eagle.
James Petersen
James is excited to come back to the Corpus Christi HawkWatch after previous years of counting at the Grand Canyon and Commissary Ridge HawkWatches. He got his degree from the University of Maine in Wildlife Ecology, and, since then, has worked bird jobs all across the country. When not hawkwatching, you can find him showing people the unique species of the Chiricahuas in southeast Arizona.
When not working, you can find him birdwatching, playing board games such as Wingspan, and helping people get eyes on birds they have never seen before. He is most looking forward to seeing the massive Broad-winged Hawk migration. His favorite raptors are a tie between the American Goshawk and the Merlin.
Nathaniel Cooley
Nathaniel graduated from Washington State University in 2025 with a degree in Wildlife Ecology. He has been birding since his second year in college and doing so quickly became a major part of Nathaniel’s life. He spends most of his free time outside birding or otherwise being an amateur naturalist. His favorite raptor is the Rough-legged Hawk, beautiful and always a treat to see in the snow-covered fields of eastern Washington, where he became familiar with them.
Conor Somerville
Conor graduated from Cal Poly Humboldt in May 2023. He has two seasons of Northern Spotted Owl and one season of American Goshawk occupancy research under his belt. Through this work interacting with raptors and observing their daily lives, he developed a unique connection to them. Conor looks forward to exploring a new place and observing the diverse range of species in southern Texas. Besides wildlife viewing and exploring nature, he likes to do martial arts and play tabletop games. His favorite raptor is the Northern Spotted Owl.
If you need help planning your trip or are curious about how the count is going during the season, join our “Friends of Corpus Christi HawkWatch” Facebook group! There, you can chat directly with our crew and other bird nerds excited about the fall count.
Thank you to our partners at Nueces County, Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi, and Swarovski for their support of the festival and the important long-term work conducted at the site. You can play a role in raptor conservation, too. Click here to invest in the future of the migration network: https://hawkwatch.org/supportmigration/
This blog was written by Sammy Riccio, our Communications Manager, as well as our 2025 crewmembers. You can learn more about Sammy here.
