Come Join Us In ...
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"A CELEBRATION OF FLIGHT"
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At the Corpus Christi Hawk Watch
In Hazel Bazemore County Park
September 28 to October 1, 2000
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Although the hawk watch runs from August 15 to November 15, the four
days of the "Celebration" are set during the peak of hawk migration. All
the events will be held at Hazel Bazemore Park and are open to the public
free of charge. Mini-programs on hawk identification, raptor migration,
the use of satellite telemetry to track hawks, and the purpose of hawk
watches will be given by HawkWatch, International staff. These 15 to 20
minute programs will be held during lulls and will stop for large fly-overs.
Visitors will get a chance to see the use of radar to find raptors when
the Blucher Institute of Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi brings
its radar equipped van to the site on Saturday, September 30. Volunteers
will be available to show and identify hawks for visitors. Several organizations
will have booths to share information about their programs. But mostly
come and experience the true stars, migrating raptors, in a true Celebration
of Flight.
During the “Celebration” weekend, two other special events are planned.
On Saturday, September 30, beginning at 10:00 a.m., live raptors will be
on site thanks to the generous continued support of the Texas State Aquarium.
Michelle Setter, the Aquarium’s staff sea bird and raptor rehabilitator,
will be bringing Cleo, one of their two rescued Swainson’s Hawks, to the
watch along with another raptor from their educational rehabilitation program.
Swainson’s hawks will be nearing their peak passages during the Celebration
of Flight, and flights of dozens to hundreds to thousands at a time are
possible.
The second special event takes place on Sunday, October 1, as members
of the Corpus Christi Native American Association come on site to open
the day’s watch with ceremony, song and dance. In what may well be a first
for any North American hawk watch, Native Americans will offer song and
dance in honor of the annual migration of hawks on the hawk watch site.
Raptors are sacred to many tribes throughout the continent, and in conjunction
with the annual fall passage of hawks, a blessing will also be offered
for the hawk watch and the hawk migration. CCNAA members will also be on
hand to answer questions about local Native American organizations and
powwows, their outreach and community service programs and the roles hawks
and eagles play in Native American song, dance and religion.
The Hawk Watch
From September 23 to October 1 a chain of hawk watch sites, about six miles
apart, will be set up from the west edge of Nueces Bay to Lake Corpus Christi.
Volunteers are needed to man these sites that will collect important data
to gain a more complete picture of raptor migration. Another citizen-science
project where volunteers are needed is to document roosting sites along
the Nueces River for migrating raptors. Through the use of Nexrad weather
radar large movements of raptors will be monitored and teams will be sent
to document lift-offs in the mornings or set-downs in the afternoons.
Friends of the Watch
The Corpus Christi Hawk Watch at Hazel Bazemore Park is a HawkWatch, International
(HWI) site and was the first group that conducted full season counts in
Texas. HWI deserves our support; think about becoming a member. Central
and South West/Central Power & Light have been our primary corporate
sponsor for all three years of full season watches. They are very birder
friendly and participate in many other environmental projects. We appreciate
their support. The Northwest Business Association, Audubon Outdoor Club,
and Nature's Bird Center are the sponsors of our secondary sites. Electrotex,
Inc. has provided the watch with a web site for the past six years to post
our daily counts and much more.
A special thanks to the Nueces County Parks and Recreation Department and
their staff at Hazel Bazemore Park for providing such a magnificent place
to watch hawks.
Where to Stay
There are many places to stay in Corpus Christi and the fine folks at the
Convention and Visitors Bureau can provide you with all the details. One
close place is the Best Western Garden Inn (3 miles from Hazel) that can
be reached at (361) 241-6675. The closest full-service hotel (10 miles
from Hazel) is the Holiday Inn- Airport that can be contacted at (361)
289-5100. Ask for the hawk watch rates.
Directions to Hazel Bazemore Park
The park is located in the northwest corner of Corpus Christi in the community
of Calallen. Highways 37 and 77 intersect and run together for a short
distance. The first exit on Hwy 77, less than one half mile south of this
intersection, is FM 624 (Upriver Road). Go west on 624 for .7 mile to the
entrance of the park on the right.
When to Come
The peak of migration occurs between September 23 and October 1 and there
are usually two to three days of counts exceeding 100,000! That's a lot
of hawks……but……it is impossible to pin it down any closer. After two years
of hitting the exact days during the "Celebration" we missed it entirely
last year. Below is a list by species and the best times to see them:
Swallow-tailed Kite August 15 to September 5
Mississippi Kite August 20 to September 10
Broad-winged Hawk September 20 to October 10
Osprey September 20 to October 10
Peregrine Falcon September 20 to October 10
American Kestrel September 20 to October 10
Cooper's Hawk September 20 to October 10
Sharp-shinned Hawk September 25 to October 15
Swainson's Hawk September 25 to October 10
Turkey Vulture October 20 to November 10
Black Vulture October 20 to November 10
Red-tailed Hawk October 25 to November 10
