7 Fascinating Hotspots for Hawk Watching In Texas You Need to Add to Your Bucket List

Texas is, by far, the largest state in the continental United States, covering 268,820 square miles. Texas, located close north of Mexico, is also in the migratory path of many different bird species. As a result, the state has a diverse range of hawk species to offer to enthusiastic birders. Check these amazing sites for hawk watching in Texas.

But where exactly can you watch hawks in Texas? Look no more, as we’re about to hand you a useful list of 7 must-visit hotspots to watch fascinating hawk migrations in Texas.

So pack your bird-watching equipment and prepare for some sky-high hawk migration shows!

Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park

Spring dates: Mar 1 – Apr 30

Fall dates: Sep 1 – Oct 31

Address: Mission, Texas, USA

Birds you’ll see: Black vulture, turkey vulture, broad-winged hawk, white-tailed kite, Mississippi kite, Swainson’s hawk, Harris’s hawk, crested caracara, gray hawk, Northern harrier, sharp-shinned hawk, cooper’s hawk, red-shouldered hawk, broad-winged hawk, red-tailed hawk, American kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine falcon

Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park and World Birding Center, located in South Texas, is one of the country’s best birdwatching sites. Bentsen is well-known among birders around the country as a haven for ‘Valley Specialties,’ or tropical species seen nowhere else in the US.

The 797-acre Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park offers year-round outdoor activities in a rich birding location north of the Mexican border.

Bentsen is an excellent site to start a nature trip in south Texas. Visitors can witness wildlife in their native habitats through guided tours. Special programs for teachers and students and citizen science projects (like the Christmas Bird Count and Hawk Watch) are also offered. Special events and workshops are organized throughout the year.

A bilingual (English/Spanish) exhibit hall, conference room, park store, and administrative offices are all located within the Visitor’s Center, which hummingbird feeders and butterfly gardens surround.

You can also ride their bikes or walk through their beautiful park. You can watch birds closely and observe their behavior in two enclosed bird blinds.

Directions: Exit US 83 at Bentsen Palm Drive and travel south approximately 3 miles. Shortly before the road ends at the park entrance, turn left into the Bentsen-RGV State Park parking lot. Admission is paid in the gift shop across the street. To get to the Rio Grande Trail, take the park tram (which runs every day from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

The hawk tower is located on the park road’s southeastern end. Proceed up the Rio Grande trail for about 80 yards from the tram stop, then left onto the Hawk Tower spur trail for another 200 yards.

Learn more at the Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park website.

Corpus Christi HawkWatch

Dates: Aug 1- Nov 15

Address: Corpus Christi, Texas, USA

Birds you’ll see: Black vulture, turkey vulture, broad-winged hawk, Mississippi kite, swallow-tailed kite, Swainson’s hawk, Harris’s hawk, gray hawk, Northern harrier, sharp-shinned hawk, cooper’s hawk, red-shouldered hawk, broad-winged hawk, red-tailed hawk, American kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine falcon

HawkWatch International’s network of long-term monitoring sites in the western US includes the Corpus Christi HawkWatch in southern Texas. It’s definitely a site that is rich with hawk species and is loved by many bird watchers.

It collects valuable scientific data and offers an excellent opportunity for the public to learn about raptor ecology and conservation requirements through on-site environmental education. You can always attend the site’s environmental education events and enjoy excellent hawk-watching opportunities.

Directions: Hazel Bazemore Park (HBP) is located near the town of Calallen, about 27 kilometers west of Corpus Christi Bay. To get to Hazel Bazemore Park, travel FM624 west from SH77 for about a mile until you see a park sign on the right. To get to the HawkWatch site, enter the park and turn left after crossing the speed bump. Follow the winding road to the top of the hill. Another parking spot can be found where the road bends to the left, and the viewing platform is visible just beyond this bend.

Learn more at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch website.

Eaton Hill Nature Center & Preserve

Dates: Oct 1- Nov 9

Address: Sonora, Texas, USA

Birds you’ll see: Black vulture, turkey vulture

Central Fly Zone Nature Preserve is located on the western fringe of the Texas Hill Country. The site has a 2300 feet elevation and 180-degree vista. There’s a clear view from the top of the hill, including a water feature, trails, and picnic tables.

Directions: Exit #400 at Sonora from Interstate 10. Follow Water Street over the Dry Devil’s River 1/2 mile to Mulberry (you’ll pass Dry Devil’s River Trailhead access), then turn left on Mulberry (near County Library) and go to City Hill to the top of Eaton Hill Preserve to the Nature Center.

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

Dates: Mar 15- Apr 15

Address: Alamo, Texas, USA

Birds you’ll see: Black vulture, turkey vulture, white-tailed kite, Mississippi kite, sharp-shinned hawk, cooper’s hawk, broad-winged hawk, Swainson’s hawk, short-tailed hawk, Harris’s hawk, gray hawk

The count takes place at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge from March 15 to April 15 and is mostly handled by volunteers with assistance from refuge staff. Many educational activities are offered at the site, such as tours, including tram tours, family events, outreach programs, youth group programs, and school group programs.

Directions: The Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is located near Texas’ southernmost point. It’s located 7.5 miles south of Alamo. Take Expressway 83 to Alamo, Gateway City to the Santa Ana NWR, to arrive at the Refuge. Take FM 907 south for 7.5 miles. Turn east on Highway 281 and continue for a quarter-mile. Enter the Refuge from the south and park to sign in at the visitor center.

Sheldon Lake State Park and Environment Learning Center

Dates: Sep 1- Oct 1

Address: Houston, Texas, USA

Birds you’ll see: Black vulture, turkey vulture, broad-winged hawk

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department manages Sheldon Lake State Park and Environmental Learning Center, a 2,800-acre outdoor site in northeast Harris County. The location is near the Sheldon Lake Reservoir. The park offers wildlife viewing, picnic areas, group camping, hiking trails, fishing, as well as an environmental learning center.

The John Jacob Observation Tower is an 82-foot wheelchair-accessible building that offers views of the downtown Houston skyline and the surrounding prairie and wetlands.

Smith Point

Dates: Aug 15- Nov 15

Address: Smith Point, Texas, USA

Birds you’ll see: Black vulture, turkey vulture, osprey, bald eagle, broad-winged hawk, Mississippi kite, Swainson’s hawk, Northern harrier, sharp-shinned hawk, swallow-tailed kite, cooper’s hawk, red-shouldered hawk, broad-winged hawk, red-tailed hawk, American kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine falcon

In southern Texas, the Smith Point HawkWatch is an ongoing effort dedicated to tracking long-term raptor population trends in this part of the Gulf Coast migratory flyway. Since 1997, 25 different raptor species have been seen migrating over the area, with annual counts ranging from 26,000-115,000 migrants. Gulf Coast Bird Observatory (GCBO), HawkWatch International (HWI), and Texas Parks and Wildlife are working together on the project

Directions: Take I-10 East to State Highway 61 from Houston. Take SH 61, SH 65, and Farm Route 562 south to the intersection. Continue south on 562 for twenty miles to the Candy Abshier Wildlife Management Area, managed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. Follow the signs until you get to the tower and parking area. The site is located near the southern tip of Chambers County, 50 kilometers southeast of Houston, on the east side of State Route 562 where it intersects the management area.

Sylvan Beach

Dates: Mar 1- Apr 30

Address: La Porte, Texas, USA

Birds you’ll see: Black vulture, turkey vulture, osprey, Mississippi kite, swallow-tailed kite, cooper’s hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, broad-winged hawk, Swainson’s hawk, red-shouldered hawk

Dick Benoit founded the Sylvan Beach Spring Hawk Watch in 1996.

It is a county park in La Porte, Texas, located on the northwest edge of Galveston Bay. Volunteers from the Galveston Bay Area Texas Master Naturalists staff the site.

Related post: Best Places for Birdwatching in Delaware

FAQs about Hawk Migration to Texas

What types of hawks can I see in Texas?

There are 16 different hawk species that Texas is known for: Harris’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, gray hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, red-shouldered hawk, broad-winged hawk, cooper’s hawk, red-tailed hawk, white-tailed kite, zone-tailed hawk, rough-legged hawk, white-tailed kite, Mississippi kite, Northern Harrier, Northern Goshawk, and Swainson’s hawk.