Fall Bird Migration in Texas: Where and When to Go

Everything's bigger in Texas, including the bird traffic.

If you've ever wondered why your Texan friends get weird about cold fronts in October, this is why: a huge share of the continent's Texas migratory birds are really everyone's migratory birds, just passing through on the way south.

Texas Bird Migration by the Numbers

Texas sits on the Central Flyway, one of the four administrative flyways the U.S. uses to manage migratory birds, and the Gulf coast funnels birds like a turnstile at a Cowboys game. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife's migratory birds overview, 333 of the 338 Nearctic-Neotropical migrant species (the ones that breed up north and winter in the tropics) have been recorded in Texas. That's 98.5 percent.

Lights Out Texas puts the scale even more bluntly: between a third and a quarter of all birds migrating at night through the United States travel through Texas. If you want to understand where all of them are coming from, our breakdown of the four flyways covers how the routes work.

When & Where to See Fall Migration in Texas

Migrating birds in Texas start moving in August and keep going through November, according to Axios Austin's migration explainer. Most of it happens at night, and the biggest flights follow cold fronts with north winds, which is why birders here check the forecast like it's a fantasy football waiver wire. For how this fits the national calendar, see our guide to fall migration across the U.S..

Here are the highlights for where to see Texas birds during migration:

Hazel Bazemore County Park, Corpus Christi

This is the headliner. The Corpus Christi HawkWatch runs August 1 to November 15 in Hazel Bazemore County Park, and its annual counts range from about 445,000 to more than a million raptors. Broad-winged Hawks make up 88 to 98 percent of the total, and their peak usually lands in the last week of September. Local counters swear by "West is best, East is least" for winds. Individuals can just show up. If hawks are your thing, start with our beginner's guide to fall hawk watching.

High Island

High Island is famous for spring fallouts, but Houston Audubon's High Island sanctuaries say late September to mid-October usually produces the best fall results. It's open dawn to dusk, and a day pass is $10.

Bolivar Flats

Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary is a Globally Important Bird Area and part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Late July and August are good, but the entire fall can be productive as wintering shorebirds build up, with avocets, godwits, curlews and plovers on the menu (to look at, not to eat).

The Rio Grande Valley

Down in the Valley, fall migration runs roughly August through mid-November, and Edible Rio Grande Valley notes that about half of all U.S. bird species show up there at some point in the year. Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, and the nine-site World Birding Center network are the places to start. Ruby-throated, Rufous and Black-chinned hummingbirds come through too, so our guide to hummingbird migration is worth a look before you go.

What Birds Are Migrating Through Texas Right Now?

In early October, the Broad-winged Hawk peak at Corpus Christi is usually just behind us, the coastal songbird window at High Island is still open, and shorebird numbers keep building at Bolivar. For what's actually flying over your county tonight, BirdCast's dashboard tracks it nightly. And if you'd rather not figure it out alone, the Texas bird watching groups we've rounded up are full of people who already know which park is hot this week.

Lights Out Texas

You don't need to buy anything to help migratory birds in Texas. (Please don't buy anything. Just flip a switch.) Lights Out Texas asks people and businesses to turn off nonessential lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. during peak migration, since bright lights pull night-flying birds off course and into buildings.

Pack it in, pack it out

Beaches are where fishing line and trash end up wrapped around birds. Audubon reports that just two California wildlife clinics treated at least 2,957 aquatic birds for fishing-gear injuries from 2002 to 2015, and in Florida, fishing line kills more pelicans than any other hazard. Take your snack wrappers home, and if you see line on the sand, pick it up. Houston Audubon even runs fall beach cleanups at Bolivar for exactly this reason.

Frequently Asked Questions

What percentage of birds migrate through Texas?

Between a third and a quarter of all birds migrating at night through the U.S. pass through Texas, and 98.5 percent of Nearctic-Neotropical migrant species have been recorded in the state.

When do Broad-winged Hawks pass Corpus Christi?

The peak usually comes in the last week of September, and the count runs August 1 to November 15.

What birds are migrating through Texas right now?

In early October, look for late hawks, songbirds along the upper coast, building flocks of shorebirds, and hummingbirds in the Valley.

What waterfowl have you seen lately?

Tell us in the comments or through the Sparkbird App, available in the Apple App Store.

Related: How to Use the Sparkbird App