Ducks, geese flock to area’s wetlands
Above us to the right, two pintail ducks plummeted out of the morning sky at 50 mph. In tandem, they turned 45 degrees, locked their wings, and — in a falling-rising-falling dance in midair — plunged in front of us.
I raised and shot. Got them both.
It was one of my most difficult photographs ever. The ducks then flared and landed in the marsh pond.
Beyond, a trio of cinnamon teal, perched on a log, slept with their heads tucked under their wings. Far above, skeins of geese filled the high sky. You could hear the squawks and honks carry for miles on this quiet morning at the refuge.
One of the great wildlife spectacles in California — the arrival of 10 million ducks and geese, along with unbelievable millions of shorebirds, raptors and songbirds — is under way at the marsh wetlands in the Sacramento Valley and the Bay Area.
The peak migrations on the Pacific Flyway started last week. At the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex alone, roughly 850,000 ducks and geese had arrived by the start of the month. Those numbers are projected to hit 1.5 million by Thanksgiving.
The timing means driving tours — already good and getting better — are projected to be spectacular from Thanksgiving through Christmas. For those heading out of the Bay Area for the holidays or vacations, these driving tours can provide spectacular side trips that can end up being the best part of your holiday.
Best of the best
A 6-mile loop driving tour of the Sacramento refuge is available just east of Interstate 5, between Maxwell and Willows. A 3-mile driving tour is available at the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, located just south of Highway 20 just west of Colusa (and east of Williams).
Several other refuges provide drives to lookouts with short walks to great viewing areas. These include Woodbridge Ecological Reserve (short walk for best prospects) located west of Lodi in the remote Delta, and Cosumnes River Preserve (great for youngsters, best by kayak) located near Galt, in the Walnut Grove/Thornton area.
The Bay Area has 20 wetlands marshes that attract roughly 1.2 million migratory shorebirds and waterfowl for winter. These sites are listed in a story, “Marsh project means more fish, birds and wildlife,” that appeared in The Chronicle on Oct. 14.
The best include the Napa-Sonoma Marsh in the North Bay, Bothin Marsh in Marin, Palo Alto Baylands on the Peninsula, Hayward Regional Shoreline on the shore of the South Bay in Alameda County, Big Break Regional Shoreline on the gateway to the Delta in Oakley in Contra Costa County, and the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge’s Environmental Education Center in Alviso.
Here they come
Three weeks ago, big storms and freezing temperatures in Alaska and British Columbia started pushing the birds south en masse. That was followed 10 days ago by a succession of storms that hammered the Pacific Northwest. Right on schedule.
In mid-October, 846,700 total waterfowl had arrived at the Sacramento NWR Complex. That included 198,000 whitefronted geese (many call them “specks”) and 360,000 pintail. By next week, the number of waterfowl is expected to hit 1.4 million to 1.5 million.
A huge influx of snow geese is under way. In mid-October, only 2,700 “white geese,” which combine both snow geese and Ross’ geese (because they are too difficult to discern the difference in aerial surveys), were counted at the Sacramento Complex. Yet in most years by mid-November, roughly 275,000 “white geese” arrive to the wetlands marshes here, and they keep coming through Thanksgiving and into December.
This massive influx of snow geese is under way, with more white geese piling into the refuge each day. The next counts will take place next week.
Pintail numbers are going up as well, with more than 500,000 expected by mid-November, plus 340,000 teal (both greenwinged and cinnamon), 180,000 wigeon and more than 100,000 shovelers.
One key is rain, flooding and the amount of marsh habitat available to provide landing spots for rest and food. Even with sparse rain this month, wildlife managers have been able to jump-start the marsh habitat with shallow-water flooding: 69 percent of the Sacramento Complex is flooded, compared to 66 percent of Delevan, 74 percent of Colusa and 100 percent of the Butte Sink. Sutter and Llano Seco, which typically flood later in the fall, are at 45 and 33 percent, respectively.
These numbers will go up as winter arrives, of course. The next chance of rain, always a wild card for the Sacramento Valley, is forecast for the end of next week.
Afternoon temperatures this week have been in the mid-70s, with plenty of sun and tons of birds, both in the air and on the marsh.