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WHERE TO SEE BIRDS: California’s Central Valley |
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The Central Valley of California is a great spot for overwintering waterfowl. It has also been making the
news a lot lately as the drought there has reached epic proportions, and it’s not just farmers who are affected. About 60 percent of the waterfowl in the Pacific Flyway use California’s Central Valley for wintering habitat making this area an extremely important bird habitat — especially for wintering ducks and geese. Its 13 million acres once contained a rich wetland complex covering 4 million acres. But with intense agriculture and human development only 205,000 acres of highly managed wetlands remain.
As global climate patterns continue to predict more droughts, the future of wetlands in the Central Valley is uncertain. Agriculture claims about 80 percent of the water use in the region, and as urbanization continues, demand for that water increases. But it’s not all bad news! In recent years rice farmers have worked with conservationists to manage rice fields for birds. It’s a practice called “Bird Friendly Agriculture”, whereby farmers are compensated for providing habitat for waterfowl and shorebirds during critical times of year when the farmers aren’t using their fields for agriculture anyway.
Visit California’s Central Valley in the wintertime to see incredible flocks of Snow Geese, Greater White-fronted Geese, Canada Geese, Mallards, Canvasbacks, Dunlin, Sandhill Cranes and so much more! We recommend visiting a National Wildlife Refuge, such as Merced National Wildlife Refuge in Merced, California, or Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge in Willows, California. After you enjoy the show, be sure to support the many organizations that protect wildlife in California’s Central Valley. You can learn more about them by visiting the Central Valley Joint Venture website. |
