Birds are here this time of year. The 23rd annual Snow Goose Festival returns this weekend for birders and other outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Pacific Flyway.
The annual event, held mostly at the Patrick Ranch in Durham and surrounding wildlife refuges, offers exhibits, workshops, and field trips.
The Snow Goose Festival begins today and runs through Sunday to celebrate the arrival of thousands of waterfowl that make their winter home in the refuges and rice fields in the area.
Many of the field trips have been sold out, but quite a few remain, like “Birds, River, and Riparian Forests at Brayton Restoration,” “Thermalito Afterbay and Forebay,” and “Forest Therapy – Bidwell Sacramento River Park – Indian Fishery Loop.”
Walk-in registration for field trips and the banquet will be available at Patrick Ranch Museum, Thursday through Sunday, Jan. 26-29, 7 AM until 4 PM.
Don’t miss the biggest event of the Snow Goose Festival, the “Gathering of Wings” Banquet. “This treasured evening is a mix of great food, great company, and great entertainment and is anticipated by many as the one chance per year they have to visit and catch up with fellow birders and friends in the community,” organizers said.
There will be free exhibitors and family activities on Jan. 28-29 from 9 AM until 3 PM with games, crafts, and live bats.
There will also be an art exhibit called “For the Love of Birds” by artists whose subjects include wildlife and habitat along the Pacific Flyway. This will be located at the Museum of Northern California Art, 900 Esplanade, in Chico. It will feature a variety of media, including sculpture, clay, oils, fiber arts, watercolor, acrylics, mixed media, glass, and photography.
This event is open to the public, Jan. 27 through March 19 from 11 AM until 5 PM.
There are no field trips scheduled this year at the Colusa Wildlife Refuge, due to the auto-tour and walking trail being flooded. However, the viewing platform is open. There is no entry fee.
Although the field trips to the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge in Willows are sold out, the public is welcome to visit the refuge on their own. There is a visitor center, including a small museum, bookstore, and picnic area, which is open from 9 AM until 4 PM daily. The six-mile auto-tour is open year-round from one hour before sunrise until one hour after sunset. An entrance pass is required at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, $6 daily pass and $12 for an annual pass.
Other activities at the refuge are visiting the native plant garden and participating in a wetland walk. ■