The Birdiest Festival in America 2021

Required for all festival program/field trip participants! Allows registration for field trips, 3 free presentations ($5 for extras) OR a free Workshop, a free Raptor Project presentation, and five days admission to South Texas Botanical Gardens. (Use Promo Code 3Free for 3 free seminars or code WORK for a free workshop).

April 17-20. We are pleased to offer a four-day Pre-Trip this year to the Rio Grande Valley, home to many specialty birds that can only be found in deep South Texas. The cost of this trip includes transportation, experienced leader, entry fees, and lodging for Saturday thru Tuesday night that comes with breakfast. It does not include lunches or dinners.

7:00 - 12:00 Looking for shorebirds and seabirds, while driving along the beach, is a treat for those who do not live near the ocean. The popularity of this tour is enhanced by the fact that this is a world-class migrant trap for neotropical species. Plus, this adventure offers some very birdy freshwater ponds and marshes, where you’ll see sparrows, ducks, and wading birds. Generally, visitors can easily see more than 100 species in a single day. 

7:00 - 12:00 For many, this is what the spring migration is all about. Around here, April is an enjoyable, and sometimes exhausting, time to chase migrating land birds that flit and feed throughout the area. We’ve lessened the challenge by narrowing down the places to look. The birders who lead these trips know the most likely hot spots to find the species you want to see.

What will be the next new species found in the Texas Coastal Bend, where 475 species have already been documented? Join in this fun discussion and optimistic forecast about potential new firsts, based loosely on scientific study, and largely on wild, random guesswork.

Speaker Ben Horstman serves as the regional Interpretive Specialist for South Texas State Parks.His addiction to birding was a direct result of moving here and birding with the staff and volunteers at the parks.His favorite pastime is birding in the parks and natural places of Texas.

6:00 - 7:30 Please add and extra ticket if you are bringing a guest.

This ticket is for an extra guest for the BBQ dinner that is not attending the rest of the festival.

5:30 - 3:30 The Norias Division has vast tracts of habitat that are home to a variety of South Texas specialty birds, including the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Tropical Parula, Northern Beardless- Tyrannulet, Audubon’s Oriole, Botteri’s Sparrow, Green Jay, White-tailed Hawk, Olive Sparrow, and many others. This is our most popular field trip, so it fills very quickly. Attendance is limited to 20 birders. Your tour guide is Tom Langschied, The King Ranch’s visitor program manager. Lunch provided.

5:30 - 3:30 Lunch (not included) will be flexible. This 10-hour tour is fast-paced, challenging, and fun. We understand that seeing and hearing as many species of birds as possible in a single day is not for everyone, but many birders consider it a must during a springtime visit to Corpus Christi. We’ll cover as many spots as time allows, based on where the best birds have been spotted by our team of bird scouters. This adventure may earn participants a spot in 150 Club.

6:00 - 3:30 New! This refuge north of Rockport is an important stopover for many migrants, while being well known among birders for its exceptional variety of resident and transient birds. The refuge has documented 93 nesting species and nearly 400 birds overall. Large tracts of natural coastal prairie and Live Oak mottes provide habitat for many spring migrants and resident birds.

6:30 - 12:00 Best known as an official Hawk Watch spot in the fall, Hazel Bazemore Park boasts the largest and most diverse convergence of migrating raptors in the United States. But springtime brings color to this park, providing visitors with a robust sampling of South Texas species, including Green Jays, Kiskadees, White-tipped Dove, Couch's Kingbirds and Buff-bellied Hummingbirds. This tour has gifted more than one birder a lifer, when they spotted a Groove-billed Ani in the ,park.

7:00 - 12:00 The Coastal Bend holds an enviable number and variety of shorebirds. So, this field trip is designed especially for folks with a fascination and curiosity for water birds, but who also may find identifying them difficult. Consider this outing a workshop for honing your skills with a shorebird expert. Master birder, Mel Cooksey, will guide you through the subtle physical and behavior traits of these birds.

7:00 - 12:00 Looking for shorebirds and seabirds, while driving along the beach, is a treat for those who do not live near the ocean. The popularity of this tour is enhanced by the fact that this is a world- class migrant trap for neotropical species. Plus, this adventure offers some very birdy freshwater ponds and marshes, where you’ll see sparrows, ducks, and wading birds. Generally, visitors can easily see more than 100 species in a single day. 

8:00 - 11:00 Your Birdiest Festival host and organizer is the Botanical Gardens, which spans 182 acres of shrub and grassland, with a lake and a pond. You may find a variety of bird species here year-round, and in spring, anything could be present. As mentioned earlier, this site sits along a prime migration corridor, so simply look skyward for swallows, hawks, anhingas, and White Pelicans that commonly pass over on their way northward.

1:00 - 3:00 Outdoor Photography Workshop: Set-ups and techniques for capturing stunning nature images by Dr. Robert Benson. Flip through any nature magazine and you’ll marvel at incredible images of birds, other wildlife, plants, and landscapes. Have you ever wondered how you can capture better photos? Most first-rate nature photos are the result of careful planning, appropriate equipment, and years of field experience.

3:30-4:30 The Texas Coast supports a diverse population of nesting herons, ibis, gulls and terns. Today, it’s home to about 59,000 nesting pairs. Their numbers have fluctuated over time, depending on the availability of predator-free nesting sites, human disturbance, and many other factors. This program will discuss population trends from the late 1900s to show where we are today, with a look ahead to the future.

5:30 - 3:30 The Norias Division has vast tracts of habitat that are home to a variety of South Texas specialty birds, including the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Tropical Parula, Northern Beardless- Tyrannulet, Audubon’s Oriole, Botteri’s Sparrow, Green Jay, White-tailed Hawk, Olive Sparrow, and many others. This is our most popular field trip, so it fills very quickly. Attendance is limited to 20 birders. Your tour guide is Tom Langschied, The King Ranch’s visitor program manager. Lunch provided.

6:00 - 3:30 This lake is located north of Corpus Christi, at the edge of thorn-brush desert which hosts a somewhat different suite of birds. We may gain entry to the riparian area below the dam as well.

6:00 - 3:30 There are no restrooms on this tour. Lunch is at the nearby Dairy Queen (cost not included). This is one of the top five birdiest spots in the nation, based on the annual Christmas Bird Count. More than 350 bird species have been recorded within the wildlife management area. The tour takes visitors through freshwater marshes, where they are likely to spot the Fulvous Whistling-Duck. We will walk along a road through a lush riparian forest within the Guadalupe River floodplain.

6:30 - 12:30 Local birders have long known about this birding area’s rolling hills and open pastures, a peaceful spot for viewing raptors and sparrows.  The former dairy farm stretches for 300 acres along the Nueces River. It’s especially good this time of year, for spotting the Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Green Jay, Great Kisskadee, and Black-crested Titmouse. The enchanting forest of ancient towering oaks, dripping with Spanish moss, creates an idyllic rural setting.

6:30 - 12:30 Our half-day trip will cover the most primitive part of the ranch, encompassing prairie, riparian wetland and marsh habitats. Expect to see resident Bald Eagles. Other birds you’re likely to see include the Green Jay, Roadrunner and Painted Bunting.

7:00 - 12:00 For many, this is what the spring migration is all about. Around here, April is an enjoyable, and sometimes exhausting, time to chase migrating land birds that flit and feed throughout the area. We’ve lessened the challenge by narrowing down the places to look. The birders who lead these trips know the most likely hot spots to find the species you want to see.

8:00 - 11:00 Your Birdiest Festival host and organizer is the Botanical Gardens, which spans 182 acres of shrub and grassland, with a lake and a pond. You may find a variety of bird species here year- round, and in spring, anything could be present. As mentioned earlier, this site sits along a prime migration corridor, so simply look skyward for swallows, hawks, anhingas, and White Pelicans that commonly pass over on their way northward.

8:00 - 11:00 $5 entrance fee. Pay at the gate. Your park hosts will lead you around this coastal gem’s diverse habitat. According to eBird, visitors and staff have spotted 340 bird species here. The trees should be teeming with spring migrants. You might even see an iconic Whooping Cranes lingering from its winter stay in the area’s coastal wetlands. In 2011, birders flocked to Goose Island to catch a rare glimpse of a Yellow-faced Grassquit.

Native Plants for the Birds by Kris Kirkwood. Food, water, and shelter on your landscape can make a huge difference in the number and variety of birds you attract. Learn how to entice specific birds to your yard using native plants, while also learning which birds you are likely to find in South Texas.

2:00 - 3:00 The Resilient Whooping Crane: Challenges to Recovery by Dr. Liz Smith. The Texas Coastal Bend is the winter home of the only naturally occurring flock of wild Whooping Cranes in the world. Learn the factors that have impacted the steady recovery of this endangered species, while discovering the efforts focused on overcoming the challenges they face. For decades, people, institutions, government agencies have worked to minimize negative impacts on the cranes.

6:00 - 3:30 This refuge north of Rockport is an important stopover for many migrants, while being well known among birders for its exceptional variety of resident and transient birds. The refuge has documented 93 nesting species and nearly 400 birds overall. Wear protective clothing, and bring bug spray and sunscreen. This adventure includes some light hiking on mostly level ground, so wear comfortable shoes.  We’ll provide lunch, which includes a vegetarian option.

6:00 - 3:30 There are no restrooms on this tour. Lunch is at the nearby Dairy Queen (cost not included). This is one of the top five birdiest spots in the nation, based on the annual Christmas Bird Count. More than 350 bird species have been recorded within the wildlife management area. The tour takes visitors through freshwater marshes, where they are likely to spot the Fulvous Whistling-Duck. We will walk along a road through a lush riparian forest within the Guadalupe River floodplain.

6:30 - 3:30 This full-day trip does not include lunch. We will pick up sandwiches at a Subway (or other restaurant) then enjoy a picnic, if the weather is nice. This field trip has it all, beaches, coastal prairie, freshwater ponds and marshes, oak mottes, and so much more. It’s got shorebirds, waders, sparrows, and, of course, neotropical migrants.

6:30 - 12:30 Local birders have long known about this birding area’s rolling hills and open pastures, a peaceful spot for viewing raptors and sparrows.  The former dairy farm stretches for 300 acres along the Nueces River. It’s especially good this time of year, for spotting the Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Green Jay, Great Kisskadee, and Black-crested Titmouse. The enchanting forest of ancient towering oaks, dripping with Spanish moss, creates an idyllic rural setting.

7:00 - 12:00 The Coastal Bend holds an enviable number and variety of shorebirds. So, this field trip is designed especially for folks with a fascination and curiosity for water birds, but who also may find identifying them difficult. Consider this outing a workshop for honing your skills with a shorebird expert. Master birder, Mel Cooksey, will guide you through the subtle physical and behavior traits of these birds.

7:00 - 12:00 Clay Taylor, Naturalist Market Manager for Swarovski Optik. Taylor led last year’s Big Day field trip, which recorded 150 species, so he knows the area well. David Sarkozi, a well-known Texas birder who started birding in high school after reading Ken Kaufman's 1973 big year. David has since become a fan on Big Days and Big Years. He has served as president of the Texas Ornithological Society and worked on its executive board for 16 years.

8:00 - 11:00 Recommended $5 donation at the park-host table. Each April weekend, members of the Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi lead bird walks through this little urban jewel. According to records kept since 2002, visitors have spotted 183 species. You might be startled by what appears to be giant moth that flushes from underfoot. Try not to scream. This happens nearly every spring, when the Chuck-will's-widows inhabit the park.

8:00 - 11:00 $5 entrance fee. Pay at the gate. Your park hosts will lead you around this coastal gem’s diverse habitat. According to eBird, visitors and staff have spotted 340 bird species here. The trees should be teeming with spring migrants. You might even see an iconic Whooping Cranes lingering from its winter stay in the area’s coastal wetlands. In 2011, birders flocked to Goose Island to catch a rare glimpse of a Yellow-faced Grassquit.

Creative Director and writer Kevin Cochran describes the attributes and production processes he and his partners use to create a series of specialty field guides. Kevin and Information Director Mel Cooksey, along with Director of Photography Dave Allen, use high quality digital images and text to identify the easiest focal features to use when attempting to identify the species in their books.

2:30 - 4:30 Hawk Watching 101 Workshop. Have you ever enjoyed the visual thrill of seeing a raptor kettle at a hawk-watch site? What’s a kettle? We’ll tell you. You’ll also learn how they count all those migrating hawks. Join Dane and Libby Ferrell for a two-hour workshop on how to be a hawk watcher. We will discuss hawk watching techniques, such as scanning, counting groups of migrating hawks, and identifying both close and distant flying raptors.

7:00 - 12:00 A scramble is a fieldtrip designed to capitalize on the most coveted birds seen during preceding fieldtrips throughout the festival. If there is a fallout, the trip will concentrate on neotropical migrants. If a particular rare bird was spotted earlier, we’ll hunt for it. If you need a certain species for your life list, let the tour guide know.

7:00 - 12:00 For many, this is what the spring migration is all about. Around here, April is an enjoyable, and sometimes exhausting, time to chase migrating land birds that flit and feed throughout the area. We’ve lessened the challenge by narrowing down the places to look. The birders who lead these trips know the most likely hot spots to find the species you want to see.

8:00 - 12:00 This tour departs from Fulton Harbor in Rockport-Fulton, which is about an hour’s drive from the Botanical Gardens. Transportation to the harbor is not provided.  This is a fun and relaxing tour at the end of the festival. If home is north of Corpus Christi, it may even be on your way. Join Capt. Tommy Moore on the Skimmer for this comfortable four-hour spectacular. You will visit four rookery islands for colonial waterbirds to observe their magnificent spring rituals.

8:00 - 11:00 Recommended $5 donation at the park-host table. Each April weekend, members of the Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi lead bird walks through this little urban jewel. According to records kept since 2002, visitors have spotted 183 species. You might be startled by what appears to be giant moth that flushes from underfoot. Try not to scream. This happens nearly every spring, when the Chuck-will's-widows inhabit the park.

8:00 - 11:00 Your Birdiest Festival host and organizer is the Botanical Gardens, which spans 182 acres of shrub and grassland, with a lake and a pond. You may find a variety of bird species here year-round, and in spring, anything could be present. As mentioned earlier, this site sits along a prime migration corridor, so simply look skyward for swallows, hawks, anhingas, and White Pelicans that commonly pass over on their way northward.