When to Come

Corpus Christi is an all-season birding destination. There simply is no "bad day" to bird here. Of course the birds change with the seasons, and no day in the field is like the one before it. You need to bird the Coastal Bend throughout the year, and take advantage of the changes brought by the seasons.

Spring

Spring is known for migration. Texas is renowned for the swarming masses of migrant landbirds that hug the coast in the spring. Neotropical migrants are those that breed in the U.S. and Canada, and then migrate to the American tropics for the winter. Many of the birds fly directly over the Gulf of Mexico coming and going, (trans-Gulf migrants), while others avoid the over-water flight and follow the coast (circum-Gulf migrants). The Coastal Bend is blessed with both, and during spring (March through May) every tree, twig, and branch may be adorned with one of these colorful transients. Shorebirds, raptors, swallows, and waterbirds (waterfowl, herons, egrets) are among the birds that sweep over and through the Coastal Bend during this season. The Whooping Cranes remain along our coast until April.

Summer

Summer is for breeding. Although many of the migrant landbirds continue on to nest in the forests of the northern U.S. and Canada, there are a number of species that remain here. Many of our non-migrating residents are in full song in what is still winter in the north, and by late April and May the remaining breeders have returned. The Coastal Bend's inland sites (Choke Canyon State Park, Lake Corpus Christi State Park, Fennessey Ranch) will irrupt in a deafening dawn chorus during this period.

The breeding range of many eastern woodland birds halts when approaching the Coastal Bend. The Guadalupe and San Antonio rivers are the terminus for many common woodland birds such as the Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, and Red-bellied Woodpecker, and therefore these species are found only rarely south of these rivers. They are replaced below these rivers by their southern counterparts, such as the Black-crested Titmouse and the Golden-fronted Woodpecker. Therefore it is important that birders cover the extent of the Coastal Bend during this season. There are few places in the U.S. where a birder can see such a diversity of birds that are otherwise geographically separated.

Here are a few examples: Blue and Green Jays, Red-bellied and Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, Carolina and Bewick's Wrens, Brown, Long-billed, and Curve-billed Thrashers, Eastern, Western, and Couch's Kingbirds, Great Crested, Ash-throated, and Brown-crested Flycatchers, Belted, Green, and Ringed Kingfishers, Tufted and Black-crested Titmice, Chuck-will's-widow, Common Pauraque, and Common Poorwill, and Bullock's, Baltimore, and Audubon's Orioles.

Summer is also the season when colonial nesting birds are breeding. These birds (heron, egrets, gulls, terns) nest in large colonies either on the beach (such as Least Tern and Black Skimmer) or out on islands in the bays. Boat rides are available for seeing these birds in their colonies, and there is no better way to see both the numbers and the behavior of some of our most spectacular birds such as the Reddish Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, and Brown Pelican.
 

Fall

Fall migration in the Coastal Bend is an extended affair. Certain species (such as the Empidonax flycatchers and some shorebirds) will begin to arrive in early July. Interestingly, many spring migrants (such as White-rumped Sandpiper) will remain well into June, so there are only a couple of weeks in June when there are few or no migrants here! The southern breeding neotropical migrants will peak around Labor Day, to be followed by more northern birds (and the first arriving winter birds) that ride the first cold fronts of late September and October. Hummingbirds (mainly Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, with a scattering of other species to make the season interesting) descend on the Coastal Bend in swarms in late August and early September, and this event is celebrated at the Hummerbird Festival in Rockport in mid-September.

For the Coastal Bend, though, fall is the season for hawks. The Hawk Watch held at Hazel Bazemore County Park is known by birders around the world. Here is what the Watch has to say:

"An estimated 95% of the North American population of Broad-winged Hawks (Buteo platypterus) fly over the Corpus Christi Hawk Watch site at Hazel Bazemore Park every fall in monster flights called kettles."

Single kettles of 10,000 hawks are routine, and single flights of 100,000 hawks or more have been recorded. During the peak of the Broad-winged hawk migration flight (generally around the last weekend in September), single day totals of 100,000 to 400,000 hawks have been recorded. The largest area flight recorded was October 4-5, 1977 when a monster cold front brought in 750,000 Broad-winged Hawks for an overnight roost.

Historically, the largest flights of hawks arrive in Corpus Christi, Texas, between September 18 to September 30, although large flights regularly occur from mid-August to mid-October. Generally, the peak of the Mississippi kite migration is in late August, followed by Broad-winged hawks during the last two weeks in September and smaller numbers of Swainson's Hawks in early October. Flocks of Mississippi Kites, Anhingas, and Wood Storks are often seen in the midst of the Broad-winged Hawk kettles. Weather in the northern and eastern United States is a big factor in determining the actual dates of the flights.

 Winter

As fall tapers, our version of winter arrives. Most winters pass without a freeze, and there are few places on the planet more delightful during this season. No wonder so many types of birds decide to join us during this season! Waterfowl abound (most of the Redheads in the world winter in the Laguna Madre), along with other waterbirds such as Common Loon, Eared Grebe, and American White Pelican. A number of neotropical migrant species short-stop their flights here, and the Audubon Christmas Bird Counts here (the Guadalupe Delta and Corpus Christi counts, for example) typically lead the nation. Whooping Cranes begin to arrive in October, and by Christmas they can be found at Aransas NWR and other coastal areas (boat rides are available out of Rockport as well). Port Aransas celebrates these charismatic birds with a three-day festival in late February.

Of course there are birds that never migrate or move (or at least only wander short distances). These can be seen every day of the year. Many of these residents are only found in South Texas, so the time or season for your travel doesn't matter a great deal. These include specialties such as Ringed and Green Kingfisher, Long-billed Thrasher, Audubon's Oriole, Olive Sparrow, White-tipped Dove, and Green Jay.

As we said, there is never a day without birds in the Coastal Bend. Therefore you will never have an excuse to not spend a few days here in the field! Whether you are coming here for leisure or business, to visit family or to play on the beach. Corpus Christi has Waves, Wings & Wildlife!