Flocking with Friends Along the Pacific Flyway
One of the most stunning aerial shows this winter is taking place throughout the Western states, and all you need to attend are pair of decent binoculars and comfortable hiking shoes.
Millions of migratory birds are landing on lakes, marshes and rivers along the Pacific Flyway. They are searching for food and looking for love until early spring when visitors turn beaks northward.
"People come from all over North America to see this spectacle of migratory birds," said Kenn Kaufman, world-renowned ornithologist and staff writer for Audubon Magazine. "There's a birding spot within reasonable drive no matter where you live in the west. It's right in your backyard."
The Ohio native has logged thousands of miles following the flights of birds. Kaufman took up birding when he was in first grade, and it mushroomed into a lifelong passion. He parlayed four decades investigating and writing about things avian into a series of acclaimed field guides.
"The west is a really key area," Kaufman said. "Birds come from all over the west coast as far north as Alaska, especially large birds."
Millions of visitors
More than 350 species flow into California along paths taken for thousands of years. Some species such as the black bellied plover merely use California as a stopover on their journey from the artic to South America, Kaufman said.
Flocks of flapping and cackling honkers head toward the western states in October. Species with impressive wingspans such as snow geese, Canadian geese and sandhill cranes congregate in state's inland waterways. Lakes such as the Salton Sea serve as breeding grounds for white pelicans, which fly at high altitudes in a classic "V" formation
"On the coast there are places where you can see migration year round," said Kaufman, rattling off the names of ocean-huggers as if he were an auctioneer. "Loons, brants and tern, pintail, gadwall, diving ducks such as scoters."
Although the show continues through early spring, an astute birder can pick up restlessness within the flock. Activity and noise level levels increase noticeably as days grow longer.
"By early March some of the larger birds begin to return north," Kaufman said. "They make us more aware of our surroundings and our place within the world. Birds bring a three-dimensional quality to our lives."
Events
You can flock with bird enthusiasts and experts to learn more about the annual migration at the following annual activities:
Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival. Sponsored by the Morro Coast Audubon Society in collaboration with California State Parks and other groups.
For more information: http://www.morrobaybirdfestival.org
Phone: 866.464.5105
Snow Goose Festival. Keynote speaker author and ornithologist Kenn Kaufman. Kaufmann also will host a field trip to view see local migrating populations.
For more information: http://www.snowgoosefestival.org Ph. 530.345.1865
San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival. The 12th annual event takes place on the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard and features boat tours, hikes and walks, workshops and presentations.
For more information: http://www.sfbayflywayfestival.com
Phone: 707.557.9816
San Diego Bird Festival. Sponsored by the San Diego Aububon Society, the festival also features a keynote speech by author Kenn Kaufman. Unique tours offered by the society include an overnight tour of Baja California, birding by kayak and lagoon tour.
For more information: http://www.sandiegoaudubon.org/birdfest.htm
Phone: 619.682.7200
Salton Sea International Bird Festival, Feb. 14-16. Millions of birds use the Salton Sea as a winter home. Visitors can participate in guided tours, seminars and workshops.
For more information: http://www.newriverwetlands.com/saltonsea.html
Phone: 760.344.5359
California Duck Days, Davis, Feb. 22-23. Sponsored by the Yolo Basin Foundation, the festival features field trips and workshops at the Yolo Wildlife Area Headquarters facility in south Davis.
For more information: http://www.yolobasin.org/events.cfm
Phone: 530.757.3780
Aleutian Goose Festival, Crescent City, March 28-30. The 10th annual festival features more than 80 events, workshops, and guided excursions. Aleutian Geese were an endangered species that rebounded from fewer than 500 birds in the early 1970s to more than 60,000 today. Visitors can witness the birds take their daily flight en masse from an offshore island to inland feeding grounds.
For more information: http://www.aleutiangoosefestival.org
Phone: 707.465.0888
Spring Wing Bird Festival, Fallon, Nevada, May 9—11 The event is timed with the annual migration of birds through the Lahontan Valley wetlands. It is the temporary home for more than 260 species including White-faced ibis, Long-billed dowitcher, American white pelicans and Black-necked stiles. The festival coincides with International Migratory Bird Day , an event sponsored by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
For more information: http://www.springwings.org/
Phone: 775.428.6452
Parks along the Pacific Flyway
If you prefer acting as your own tour guide, the following state parks offer excellent hiking and a wide variety of migrating birds:
Clear Lake State Park, 3.5 miles northeast of Kelseyville. The area supports migratory birds such as green heron, Canada goose, canvasback duck, greater scaup, ruddy duck, bufflehead and American goldeneye.
Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, 25 miles east of Sacramento. Canada geese stay the winter at Folsom Lake and heron rookeries are located on Anderson Island Nature Preserve and the south shore of Lake Natoma.
Millerton Lake State Recreation Area, 20 miles northeast of Fresno. Millerton Lake has the largest population of wintering bald eagles in the San Joaquin Valley, mostly from summer breeding grounds in Canada.
Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve, 13 miles east of Yosemite. Annual visitors include thousands of eared grebes, Wilson's phalaropes, and red-necked phalaropes.
Picacho State Recreation Area, 24 miles north of Winterhaven. Migratory species include thousands of ducks, geese, ibis and cormorants. Heron and egrets perched above the riverside.
Salton Sea State Recreation Area, 30 miles south of Indo. This is the southernmost point for many migrating species. Annual populations include some 1.5 million grebes and tens of thousands of shorebirds including the white pelican. Endangered species prominent in the area include the Yuma clapper rail, desert pupfish and California brown pelican.
San Luis Resrvoir, 7 miles West of I-5 on Highway 152. Up to 250,000 waterfowl documented as using the reservoir as a safe haven during the winter months. The area also boasts populations of western grebes, herons, egrets, and other shorebirds.
Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area, 60 miles south of Eureka. Egrets frequent shores of the Eel River along with great blue herons and bald eagles. The park also boasts an impressive stand of virgin redwoods.
Article by Jay Alling, editor of Sensible Driver. Write to jay@sensibledriver.com.