Next membership meeting
Corpus Christi Hawk Watch
Hawk counter Nathaniel "Nate" Cooley will introduce the Corpus Christi Hawk Watch, where major migration corridors funnel southbound raptors toward the western Gulf Coast.
Read full meeting information
The Corpus Christi Hawk Watch is conducted from an elevated platform near the crest of a hill in Hazel Bazemore County Park. The platform overlooks a horseshoe bend on the southern bank of the Nueces River, about 17 miles west of Corpus Christi. Directions and additional information are available on the Corpus Christi Hawk Watch page.
Large numbers of southbound migrating hawks pass over the area, especially Broad-winged Hawks. The birds follow two principal North American migration corridors: the Appalachian and eastern ridge route, and the Great Lakes and coastal routes. While the hawks counted locally at Smith Point generally come from the Appalachian route, birds from the Great Lakes routes join them before reaching South Texas. Both streams are then funneled along the western shore of the Gulf of Mexico near Corpus Christi.
Nathaniel “Nate” Cooley is a Washington state native and Washington State University graduate. An avid birder since college, he first learned about hawk watching there. His first job after college was at the Corpus Christi watch, and he is now in his third season working at the HawkWatch International site after spending the spring in Tubac, Arizona. Across his seasons in the field, he has counted more than one million raptors representing 26 species.
The doors will open at 6:00 p.m., and the meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Directions to Tyrrell Park
From the south: Travel north on US 69/96/287 around the south side of Beaumont. Take Highway 124 west toward Fannett. At the first traffic light, turn left onto Tyrrell Park Road and continue about three-quarters of a mile. Turn left into the park through the entrance arch; the Garden Center is on the left. For Cattail Marsh, continue around approximately two-thirds of the main loop to the well-marked parking area on the right.
From I-10: Exit at Walden Road on the west side of Beaumont and turn south onto Walden Road. At the traffic light at Highway 124, continue straight onto Tyrrell Park Road, then follow the directions above.
