From the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW):
Before winter takes hold in the Arctic, more than 100,000 tundra swans migrate along the Pacific Flyway from their remote and solitary breeding grounds to spend winter in California. The swan tour offers participants a spectacular opportunity to encounter these stately, elegant birds, which weigh more than 20 pounds with a 5.6 foot wingspan.
The tour explores an area called District 10, a 23,000-acre expanse of privately-owned rice fields and restored habitat. This area boasts one of the largest seasonal concentrations of Tundra Swans in the Central Valley, as well as a wide variety of other species, including ducks, geese, shorebirds, herons, egrets and raptors.
Each tour lasts about 2 hours and is led by naturalists who will share their knowledge and enthusiasm for nature with the group.
Where: Yuba County, north of Marysville.
When: Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. - November through mid-January.
Each tour is limited to 30 participants.
Tour groups will caravan around the site on county roads, stopping for wildlife viewing opportunities—little walking is required.
Dress for the weather and bring drinking water and snacks. Binoculars and field guides are recommended. A restroom is available at the meeting/staging area.
If you have questions or wish to register for a tour, please email Genelle.Treaster@wildlife.ca.gov.
This is a California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) event. Please visit https://wildlife.ca.gov/Regions/2/Swan-Tours for the most up-to-date information on this and other CDFW events.
Tundra Swans, Image by Daniel Brown