10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2012

Colusa National Wildlife Refuge is part of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex in California’s Central Valley. This complex consists of five national wildlife refuges (NWR) and three wildlife management areas (WMA) that comprise over 35,000 acres of wetlands and uplands. www.youtube.com/watch?

Geese 183

Geese Wildlife Sacramento South Dakota 183

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 21, 2011

Every autumn, tens of thousands of Snow Geese arrive in California’s Sacramento Valley following their long journey from the Canadian Arctic (click on photos for full sized images). Snow and Ross’s Geese winter there in the tens of thousands. Map courtesy of Terry Sohl at South Dakota Birds and Birding.

Geese 162

Geese South Dakota Sacramento Arkansas 162

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2011

The male is the only Black-necked Stilt in the second segment of this video, along with several Greater White-fronted Geese, and the third bird that comes into view in the final segment that is larger than the other two birds. www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfSk54WICQ8

South Dakota 230

South Dakota Jordan Sacramento North America 230

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2017

Birders are familiar with the National Wildlife Refuge System, which consists of more than 550 units distributed through all fifty states. National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs), which are managed by the U.S. FWS calls WPAs the “Prairie Jewels of the National Wildlife Refuge System.”. Ding” Darling NWR in Florida.

Factory 129

Factory Ducks North Dakota Nebraska 129

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2018

I haven’t even been to all of the best national wildlife refuges for birding. Lifers includes Gambel’s Quail and Neotropic Cormorant, but the real highlights were the morning fly-out of Sandhill Cranes and the evening fly-in of Snow Geese. I am a westerner who has lived in San Francisco and Portland my entire birding life.

San Francisco 100

San Francisco Portland United States Puerto Rico 100