Experience the Sights, Sounds, & Wonders of Birds
22nd Annual Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway
January 27–30, 2022
Chico, California
Registration Opens Soon for Field Trips Only
NEW Snow Goose Festival Headquarters
Patrick Ranch Museum
10381 Midway, Durham, CA 95938
Thursday – Sunday, January 27 – 30, 2022
This action-packed 4-day event celebrates the remarkable journey of millions of waterfowl and raptors along the Pacific Flyway that call the Northern Sacramento Valley their home during the winter months.
Choose from more than 50 field trips that are sure to appeal to a wide variety of interests and ability levels. In addition to numerous bird-watching field trips for waterfowl, cranes, raptors and songbirds, you might choose to take a guided tour of a nature preserve, visit a local vineyard, or hike the scenic Sutter Buttes in search of lofty views and resident wildlife.
Hosted by Altacal Audubon Society
If you have any questions, you can reach us at info@snowgoosefestival.org, or by calling the Festival Office at 530-592-9092.
Snow Goose Festival /Altacal Audubon Covid-19 Safety Guidelines
- Masks are required for everyone indoors at the Patrick Ranch Museum, Snow Goose Festival Field Trip Headquarters, regardless of vaccination status.
- If you do not have a mask, one will be provided.
- No carpooling unless with family members or your social pod.
- No sharing of optics.
- If you feel sick, don’t come.
- Hand sanitizer stations will be set up inside and out.
Benefits of Birding
Caitlyn Schuchhardt of Madison Audubon, started birding in August of 2019, and after a year of birding, shared some insights and positive experiences she has had.
She found the following “unexpected benefits” of birding:
- You’ll learn your city inside and out.
- You’ll make new friends. Yes even in a pandemic.
- You’ll develop endless curiosities and never be bored.
- Your mental health will improve.
- You’ll learn patience and perseverance.
- You’ll get comfortable with uncertainty.
- You’ll grow in confidence.
Read the whole blog post here.
Sponsoring the Festival
New Webcam at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge
Explore.org added a webcam at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. Snow Geese, Northern Pintails, and Greater White-fronted Geese can currently be seen.
I just returned from the Snow Goose Festival in sunny, beautiful Chico, California. The events were fun, the field trips were great, the birds were enjoyable, and the people were terrific! Seeing all the waterfowl in their freshest breeding plumages was a real treat to me. My mom tells me I got excited about seeing ducks before I could talk. And those ducks still get me excited to this day. What’s not to like about a cinnamon teal? Or a shoveler or pintail? And raptors were present in good numbers, too. It was exciting for me to see golden eagles, prairie falcons, and one of my favorite hawks — the ferruginous hawk.
— Greg Miller, 13th Snow Goose Festival keynote speaker, and was featured in the book/movie "The Big Year"
Major Sponsors - Snow Goose ($2,500 or more)
Sponsors will be posted soon
Supporting Sponsors - Great Blue Heron ($1,000 or more)
Sponsors will be posted soon