One of the best things about being a homeschool mom is getting to go on all sorts of educational adventures with my kids. Our most recent adventure was a trip to the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge to go bird watching and learn about the snow geese migration, and it was such a fun a trip. We can't wait to go again!
The Sacramento Wildlife Refuge is 1 of 6 refuges located in the Sacramento Valley of northern California. It sits on nearly 11,000 acres of carefully managed wetlands, uplands, and riparian habitat, and it supports wintering populations of over 600,000 ducks and 200,000 geese. It is absolutely gorgeous!
History:
For thousands of years, the wetlands of the Sacramento valley have provided winter nesting grounds for a wide array of waterfowl that migrate there from northern Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. Over the last 100 years, 95% of California's wetlands have been lost to urban and agricultural development. Starting in 1937, the state of California began to set aside land to preserve for these migratory bird species.
Things To Do:
Walking Trails- The refuge has a 2 mile long "Wetland Walk" open year round, that features trails meandering through the wetlands around the visitor center. In the winter months, you will likely see lots of geese and ducks, and there is always blackbirds, hawks, eagles, and lots of interesting plant life to see.
There is also 5 miles of spring trails, open Feb 15th-June 30th, that we haven't had a chance to explore yet.
Visitor Center-The visitor center is full of neat displays and offers occasional special events, programs, and guided tours. The visitor center is open daily from 9am to 4pm November through February, and on weekdays the rest of the year.
My daughter loved the animal displays! There was lots of bird displays, a box displaying various bird eggs, a stuffed bobcat, and a deer skull.
There is also a small book/souvenir shop, where my girls got sticker books about bird species, and some postcards to send grandma.
Auto Tour- The auto tour is so neat! You get to go birdwatching from the comfort of your vehicle. It's a 6 mile dirt road that winds around the refuge and takes you to some more remote areas away from the foot traffic of the main part of the refuge. You have to remain in your vehicle for most of the tour, but it is amazing how much wildlife you will see.
There are three stop and stretch stops along the way. One with a large observation deck and spotting scopes. The tour takes about an hour to complete.
On our auto tour we saw snow geese, Ross's geese, ring-necked pheasants, a great blue heron, a sandhill crane, a snowy egret, mallards, cinnamon teals, falcons, hawks, a mule deer, a skunk, and lots more!
Types of Wildlife You Might See:
The types of wildlife you might encounter at the refuge varies depending on the season. In fall the migratory waterfowl begin to arrive and they stay through late winter. We visited in January during the peak of the waterfowl season. There were thousands of snow geese and Ross's geese.
In spring, many of the ducks and geese leave for their breeding grounds in the north, and the shore birds like stilts and sandpipers arrive.
The summer and early fall are a little less busy, but there are still some of the year round waterfowl like mallards and cinnamon teals, and the non migratory shore birds like the herons and egrets to see. There are also lots of hawks, falcons, pheasants, bald eagles, blackbirds, swallows, flycatchers, orioles, mule deer, ground squirrels, lizards, and other wildlife to enjoy year round.
For more information about the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge, visit their website: Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge
For more information about wetland habitats and migratory birds, check out these links:
-Fabulous Wetlands with Bill Nye the Science Guy
-Ponds and Wetlands from Earth's Kids
-9 Awesome Facts About Bird Migration
-Learning About Birds: Flight and Migration
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History:
For thousands of years, the wetlands of the Sacramento valley have provided winter nesting grounds for a wide array of waterfowl that migrate there from northern Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. Over the last 100 years, 95% of California's wetlands have been lost to urban and agricultural development. Starting in 1937, the state of California began to set aside land to preserve for these migratory bird species.
Things To Do:
Walking Trails- The refuge has a 2 mile long "Wetland Walk" open year round, that features trails meandering through the wetlands around the visitor center. In the winter months, you will likely see lots of geese and ducks, and there is always blackbirds, hawks, eagles, and lots of interesting plant life to see.
There is also 5 miles of spring trails, open Feb 15th-June 30th, that we haven't had a chance to explore yet.
My girls loved the Wetland Walk. It's an easy two mile path that is mostly stroller friendly. At one point the trail led us right by a flooded field full of thousands of snow geese! It was amazing!
 |
| All those white things are geese! |
My daughter loved the animal displays! There was lots of bird displays, a box displaying various bird eggs, a stuffed bobcat, and a deer skull.
There is also a small book/souvenir shop, where my girls got sticker books about bird species, and some postcards to send grandma.
Auto Tour- The auto tour is so neat! You get to go birdwatching from the comfort of your vehicle. It's a 6 mile dirt road that winds around the refuge and takes you to some more remote areas away from the foot traffic of the main part of the refuge. You have to remain in your vehicle for most of the tour, but it is amazing how much wildlife you will see.
There are three stop and stretch stops along the way. One with a large observation deck and spotting scopes. The tour takes about an hour to complete.
On our auto tour we saw snow geese, Ross's geese, ring-necked pheasants, a great blue heron, a sandhill crane, a snowy egret, mallards, cinnamon teals, falcons, hawks, a mule deer, a skunk, and lots more!
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| Ducks |
 |
| Egret |
 |
| If you look really close, there's a great blue heron standing on the log |
The types of wildlife you might encounter at the refuge varies depending on the season. In fall the migratory waterfowl begin to arrive and they stay through late winter. We visited in January during the peak of the waterfowl season. There were thousands of snow geese and Ross's geese.
The summer and early fall are a little less busy, but there are still some of the year round waterfowl like mallards and cinnamon teals, and the non migratory shore birds like the herons and egrets to see. There are also lots of hawks, falcons, pheasants, bald eagles, blackbirds, swallows, flycatchers, orioles, mule deer, ground squirrels, lizards, and other wildlife to enjoy year round.
For more information about the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge, visit their website: Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge
For more information about wetland habitats and migratory birds, check out these links:
-Fabulous Wetlands with Bill Nye the Science Guy
-Ponds and Wetlands from Earth's Kids
-9 Awesome Facts About Bird Migration
-Learning About Birds: Flight and Migration
Follow me on:
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