It’s a good time to go sightseeing
Sacramento Valley refuges offer spectacular views of geese, ducks
The fall and winter months are the ideal time in Lake County to enjoy the great outdoors and to take the family sightseeing. This is especially true this year with most of the kids now being schooled at home because of the pandemic. Northern California offers dozens of opportunities to take the youngsters for a close-up view of wildlife and most of these opportunities are only a short drive from Lake County. Not only will it be an educational experience, but enjoyable as well.
Without question one of the most spectacular sights in the country are the thousands of ducks and geese in the Sacramento Valley. The Sacramento Valley is the primary wintering ground for more than 50 percent of all the waterfowl in the Pacific Flyway. More than 3 million ducks and geese spend the winter in the valley. The ducks and geese start their migration in Alaska and Northern Canada. By late November they have settled in the federal and state wildlife refuges in the Sacramento Valley. There are four federal refuges and two state refuges. The largest is the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, located just south of Willows on I-5.
The Sacramento Refuge offers a 6-mile, self-guided auto tour, one that takes you within a few yards of thousands of the ducks and geese wintering at the refuge. There are also bald and golden eagles as well as pheasants and hawks.
One of the most spectacular sights is when the huge flocks of snow geese leave the refuge in the morning to feed in the nearby rice fields. The sky literally turns white with the geese and their calls are deafening.