Wildlife Observation

Wildlife Observation - Facilities - Waterfowl Surveys - Interesting Sightings - Reservation Form - Wildlife Checklist

More than 300 species of birds and mammals, both resident and migratory, use the refuges. The marshes support fish, frogs, and invertebrates, which are used by grebes, white pelicans, egrets, herons, and bitterns as a food resource. Shorebirds probe the mud for insects, snails, and worms, while raptors prey on the abundant waterfowl, rodents, and small birds. Woodpeckers, marsh wrens, and finches are a few of the many songbirds which feed and nest in the refuges' cottonwoods, willows, and wetland plants.

Approximately 44 percent of the Pacific Flyway's waterfowl (pdf, 1.3 MB) population winters in the Sacramento Valley. Three million ducks and three-quarters of a million geese migrate here.

The western pond turtle, common king snake and western fence lizard can sometimes be seen sunning themselves on logs and rocks by waterways and ponds. Coyotes, black-tailed deer, and jackrabbits inhabit the uplands and the margins of wetlands.

Learn about waterfowl: (pdf, 1.3 MB) dabbling ducks (pdf, 2 MB), diving ducks (pdf, 1.7 MB), geese (pdf, 159 KB) and tundra swans (pdf, 242 KB).

Seasonal Viewing Opportunities
Each season brings a new look to the refuges with a variety of wildlife. Although the peak waterfowl season is October through February, the best viewing months are November and December. The seasons mark an endless cycle of growing plants and migrating wildlife which can be observed and enjoyed year-round. There is a fine line between viewing and disturbing wildlife. Do not approach wildlife; instead use binoculars to view them up close, and remain quiet.

Fall (Sept.-Nov.): Pintails are the first duck to arrive and signal the beginning of winter migration. White-fronted geese and snow geese follow.

Winter (Dec.-Feb.): Duck and geese numbers peak. Snow and Ross's geese, mallard, wigeon, teal, bufflehead, ruddy duck, northern shoveler and ring-necked ducks enjoy the flooded marsh.

Spring (March-May): As ducks and geese leave for their breeding grounds, shorebirds arrive. Sandpipers, dowitchers, dunlin, avocets, black-necked stilts and others probe the mudflats for food.

Summer (June-Aug.): Herons, egrets, grebes, and some ducks remain to nest. Orioles, swallows, and flycatchers arrive. Resident deer, blackbirds, jackrabbits, otter and muskrat can be observed.

Weather
The Sacramento Valley during the winter can often experience dense fog or high winds. Please check your local news station to determine what to expect before you come. You can also check The Weather Channel's homepage or the National Weather Service's Sacramento weather forecast.