From the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).
Registration is required.
Before winter takes hold in the Arctic, tens of thousands of tundra swans migrate down along the Pacific Flyway from their remote and solitary breeding grounds to spend winter in California’s Great Central Valley. The swan tour offers participants a spectacular opportunity to encounter these stately, elegant birds, which weigh more than 20 pounds with a 5-foot wingspan.
Held in partnership with Mathews Rice Operation, the tours explore an area called District 10, a 23,000-acre expanse of privately-owned, flooded rice fields. This area boasts one of the largest seasonal concentrations of tundra swans in the valley, as well as a wide variety of other resident and migratory species, including duck, geese, shorebird, heron and raptor.
Each tour is about 2 hours, led by a CDFW naturalist.
Where: Yuba County, north of Marysville
When: Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. November through early-January
Each tour is limited to 8 vehicles
Tour groups caravan around the site, communicating with radios and stopping for wildlife viewing opportunities, where feasible. Little to no walking is required.
Tour participants should dress for the weather and bring drinking water and snacks. Binoculars and field guides are highly recommended. A restroom is available at the staging area.
This is a California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) event. Please visit https://www.register-ed.com/programs/california/273-tundra-swan-tours for the most up-to-date information on available Swan Tours and to register.
Tundra Swans © Ray Rozema