Rockport Hummingbird Festival
38th Annual HummerBird Celebration · Sept 17–20, 2026
Four days of the Rockport Hummingbird Festival. Fifteen speakers. Hundreds of thousands of hummingbirds funneling through Rockport-Fulton on their way across the Gulf. One of the great birding festivals in Texas.
38th
Annual Celebration
Sept 17–20
2026 Dates
15
Speaker Programs
4
Days of Events
Rockport-Fulton’s HummerBird Celebration
Every September, Rockport and Fulton host the HummerBird Celebration — a four-day festival that has grown from a small local gathering into one of the premier birding events in Texas. Birders, wildlife photographers, and nature enthusiasts travel here from across North America for one reason: hundreds of thousands of hummingbirds funneling through the Coastal Bend on their way across the Gulf of Mexico.
The 38th Annual HummerBird Celebration runs September 17–20, 2026. The 2026 lineup is out: 15 speaker programs at the Martha Luigi Auditorium, guided boat and field trips, live bird banding, a Whooping Crane keynote, and self-guided hummer home tours spread across four days.
But the festival is really just the organized cherry on top. The real show happens everywhere in Rockport and Fulton for the entire month of September — at every feeder, in every garden, along every coastal brush line. The birds don’t read the festival calendar. They just need to eat.
2026 Speaker Lineup
Fifteen authors, ornithologists, and researchers over four days — from a Whooping Crane conservation keynote to the science behind eBird. Every talk is a one-hour program at the Martha Luigi Auditorium, 1803 Omohundro St, Rockport.
All Speaker Pass
$45
All 15 speakers · Children 12 & under free
Single Speaker Pass
$15
Redeemable for any one lecture
Thursday, Sept 17
2:20 pm
Ben Horstmann — Birding in Texas State Parks — Your Other Backyard
A virtual tour of South Texas state parks and when to visit each one, from the Texas Parks & Wildlife regional interpretive specialist.
3:40 pm
Birding Panel Discussion — Local Birders on Rockport’s Best Hotspots
A panel of local birders shares favorite hotspots and must-see birds, both for the festival weekend and any time of year. (Not included in the speaker passes.)
Friday, Sept 18
10:20 am
Christine Anastas — Monarch Butterflies: Biology, Tech Tracking & Citizen Science
How new radio trackers are rewriting what we thought we knew about monarch migration — plus a new fall citizen science project anyone can join.
11:40 am
Sam Wolfe — The Secret Life of Whimbrels
A Manomet shorebird biologist follows the Hudsonian Whimbrel from the Texas coast to its nesting grounds on Alaska’s North Slope.
1:00 pm
Glenn Olsen — 3 Secrets to Attract Birds
Practical tricks for turning any yard into a magnet for birds, from a Native Plant Society of Texas past president.
2:20 pm
Dr. Liz Smith — The Magic of Hummingbirds in Aransas County
Why so many hummingbirds funnel through this stretch of coast, from a longtime Whooping Crane conservation researcher.
3:40 pm
David Sarkozi — What’s in a Name: The Eponymous Names of Birds
The people behind the 80+ eponymous bird names the American Ornithological Society voted to retire — and why it matters.
5:00 pm
Sky Kings Falconry — Wildlife Revealed — Live Raptors Indoors
Hawks, owls, and other birds of prey in free flight indoors. Arrive early — doors close once the program starts.
Saturday, Sept 19
10:20 am
Jennifer Bristol — Wild Women for Good: Stories of Conservation in Texas
The women who’ve led Texas bird conservation since the 1890s, from the author of Wild Women for Good.
11:40 am
Dr. Rebekah Rylander — The Power of eBird: How Citizen Science Is Shaping Conservation
How a Rockport-based scientist and the Rio Grande Joint Venture turn everyday eBird checklists into real conservation science.
1:00 pm
Ginger Easton Smith — Beyond Beautiful: Hummingbirds as Powerhouse Pollinators
What hummingbirds actually do for your garden beyond looking spectacular, from Aransas County’s Agricultural & Natural Resources Agent.
2:20 pm
Libby Even — Hawkwatching 101
How the nearby Corpus Christi Hawk Watch counts thousands of raptors in a single “kettle” — and how to start identifying them yourself.
3:40 pm
Sky Kings Falconry — Wildlife Revealed — Live Raptors Indoors
A second showing of Friday’s live raptor program.
5:00 pm
Dr. Carter Crouch — Whooping Cranes: A Conservation Story That Is Still Being Written
Keynote. The Director of Gulf Coast Programs for the International Crane Foundation on the comeback from 21 wild birds in the 1940s — and the work still ahead for North America’s tallest bird. See our own guide to Rockport’s wintering flock on the Whooping Cranes page.
Sunday, Sept 20
10:20 am
Kelsey Low — Decoding the Language of Birds
What all that chirping actually means — songs vs. calls, common call types, and an (ungraded) bird-language quiz.
11:40 am
Dr. Brent Ortego — Christmas Bird Count Population Trends in Texas, 1966–2023
Six decades of Texas Christmas Bird Count data — which species are climbing, which are sliding, from a retired TPWD biologist.
1:00 pm
Daniel Gomez — The Art of Bird Watching: Where Birding & Photography Meet
An award-winning San Antonio wildlife photographer on how birding and photography skills sharpen each other.
Get Your Speaker Pass →
Doesn’t include the Thursday Birding Panel or the Rockport Center for the Arts programs — see below.
Festival Activities at a Glance
Beyond the speaker series, the HummerBird Celebration fills four days with boat trips, ranch tours, live banding, and free family programs. Exact times, prices, and availability change year to year — check the chamber’s registration page before you plan your day.
🚤
On the Water
Boat Birding with Captain Tommy Moore
Two-hour trips on the "Skimmer" out of Fulton Harbor, running multiple times a day Thursday through Sunday — protected bay waters, inside and outside decks.
Sunday Brunch on the Bay
A longer, 4-hour version of the boat trip with food and drinks included — typically produces 30–60 species in a morning.
🌾
Guided Field Trips
Fennessey Ranch & Barnhart Q5 Ranch
Half-day bus trips to two privately owned Coastal Bend properties — a 3,361-acre wildlife oasis and a working ranch hayride tour.
Welder Wildlife Refuge
Guided birding on a historic conservation ranch managed by the Welder Wildlife Foundation.
Goose Island State Park
A talk in the park’s 1930s CCC-built pavilion followed by an onsite birding walk led by Ben Horstmann.
Hazel Bazemore Hawk Watch
A day trip to Corpus Christi’s legendary hawk-watching site, hosted by Swarovski Optik — one of the most significant hawk migration points in the country.
🆓
Free & Hands-On
Self-Guided Hummer Home Tours
Local homeowners open their gardens dawn to dusk starting Sept 14 — pick up a map at the Chamber Visitor Center.
Live Bird Banding
Master Bander Kelly Bryan bands hummingbirds in public view at Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary; a private banding demo runs on the Hummer Home bus trips.
Bay Education Center & Aransas Pathways
Free family programs (feeder-making, nature journaling, guided soundscapes) plus the county’s free interpretive trail network.
Hummer Mall
The festival’s vendor hall at the Fulton Convention Center — feeders, optics, art, and jewelry, with food trucks outside.
🎓
Skills & Workshops
Bird Photography 101, Parts 1 & 2
A two-part class with Master Photographer Angie Birmingham — camera basics and gear, then sharp-focus action techniques.
Butterfly Gardening Talks
Author Elizabeth White-Olsen on Coastal Bend butterflies and how to attract them to a yard of any size.
Wings Rescue Live Raptors
Rescued owls, hawks, and other raptors up close, with their recovery stories from a 100% volunteer-run center.
🎉
Casual & Social
Welcome Reception
Free opening-night wine, cheese, and beer at Rockport Center for the Arts, with live music and a Sky Kings Falconry appearance. Must register.
Cemetery Bird Walks
Author Jennifer Bristol leads walks at Rockport-Fulton Cemetery — an unexpectedly great birding spot, tied to her "Parking Lot & Cemetery Birding" book.
Backyard Birding with Susan
A guided sit in a local oak-shaded Rockport backyard with a longtime local guide.
☕
Food & Gathering
Hummer Breakfast at the Aransas County History Center
Outdoor breakfast under live oaks, surrounded by feeders — this year paired with a Humanities Texas exhibit for America 250.
See You in September
Hundreds of hummingbirds in a single backyard. Fifteen speakers, guided boat trips, live banding, and four days of Rockport-Fulton hospitality. Book your tickets and your room early — festival weekend fills up fast.