As we near the 30th anniversary of the Corpus Christi HawkWatch, we can’t help but look back at all the ways the site has changed—from installing a platform and adding interactive signage to starting the Hazel Rocks Fund to support education at the site, and most recently, adding more events to our Celebration of Flight festival weekend to make it extra special. This year we are especially grateful that we have an education sponsor, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF)! In addition to supporting the festival, the NWF will share more about offshore wind energy’s impact on raptors and other birds—a timely and important topic along the Coastal Bend. We’d also like to thank our long-time partners at Swarovski for their support of the festival, the Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi, Nueces County, and the large group of volunteers who regularly help count at the site.
We hope to see you on the platform, or at these exciting events this fall, so you can meet the amazing veteran crew holding it down at our southernmost HawkWatch!
Libby Even
Libby Even was hooked on hawk migration 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 counted at and served as the local coordinator of the site since 2006. Libby recently moved out to the country and is enjoying removing invasive flora and planting native Texas wildflowers and grasses. When not hawkwatching, Libby loves to travel internationally to new birding destinations. She hopes her travels will allow her to visit again with her favorite raptor—the Harpy Eagle.
Nathaniel Cooley
This is Nathaniel’s third season with HawkWatch International, having spent the previous fall at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch and the spring at the Tubac HawkWatch. As an avid birder, he quickly fell in love with hawkwatching and hasn’t looked back since! The community, as much as the birds, has been a joy to experience. Corpus Christi is an amazing place with great birds to see, keeping Nathaniel busy when not at the watch. He is hoping for a Rough-legged Hawk this year, his favorite raptor and a species he did not see in Corpus last fall.
Charles Trent
Charlie grew up in Texas and moved to South Florida at a young age. He graduated from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. Shortly after, he started conducting avian point count surveys in the Northern Great Plains, volunteering at the Florida Keys Hawkwatch, counting at Gunsight Mountain HawkWatch this past spring, and is now super excited for the season at Corpus Christi HawkWatch. Charlie is most excited to count the masses of Broad-winged Hawks. He enjoys disc golf, herping, and movies. Charlie’s favorite raptor is the Turkey Vulture.
Delaney Cassidy
Originally from southeast Florida, Delaney earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida studying Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. Since graduating, she has worked on a number of avian monitoring projects, including migration counts and nesting surveys for Spotted Owls, Flammulated Owls, and Snail Kites. Delaney also spent this past spring at the Gunsight Mountain HawkWatch. She is most excited to bear witness to the sheer volume of migrating birds that pass through Corpus, in particular the Mississippi Kites! When not behind a pair of binoculars, Delaney enjoys reading, paddle boarding, and spending time outdoors in any shape or form. Her favorite diurnal raptor is the Northern Harrier, and she cannot wait to watch their adventures southward this migration season!
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.
It’s also HawkWatch International’s 40th anniversary, so we’re celebrating all fall long with tons of events across our network. Find out how you can join in on all the fun with our fall hub: https://hawkwatch.org/2026-fall-hub/
This blog was written by Sammy Riccio, our Communications Manager, as well as our 2026 crewmembers. You can learn more about Sammy here.
