CDFW Swan Tours
Tundra Swans. © Ashok Khosla - all rights reserved.
Before winter takes hold in the Arctic, tens of thousands of tundra swans migrate down along the Pacific Flyway from their remote and solitary breeding grounds to spend winter in California’s Great Central Valley. The swan tour offers participants a spectacular opportunity to encounter these stately, elegant birds, which weigh more than 20 pounds with a 5-foot wingspan.
Held in partnership with Mathews Rice Operation, the tours explore an area called District 10, a 23,000-acre expanse of privately-owned, flooded rice fields. This area boasts one of the largest seasonal concentrations of tundra swans in the valley, as well as a wide variety of other resident and migratory species, including duck, geese, shorebird, heron and raptor.
Each tour is about 2 hours, led by a CDFW naturalist.
- Where: Yuba County, north of Marysville
- When: Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. November through early-January
- Each tour is limited to 8 vehicles
- Tour groups caravan around the site, communicating with radios and stopping for wildlife viewing opportunities, where feasible. Little to no walking is required.
- Tour participants should dress for the weather and bring drinking water and snacks. Binoculars and field guides are highly recommended. A restroom is available at the staging area.
➜ Swan Tour Registration
If you have questions, please contact Genelle.Treaster@wildlife.ca.gov
California Swan Festival
November 8-10, 2024
The California Swan Festival in Marysville/Yuba City offers visitors a wide range of nature activities, including Swan Tours, for people of all ages and experience. Visit California Swan Festival website for more information.