Experience the Sights, Sounds, & Wonders of Birds
We had it all at the
2022 Snow Goose Festival
of the Pacific Flyway!
The 2022 Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway soared to success with the Sights, Sounds, and Wonders of Birds! Centered in Chico, California the festival expanded out to include field trips to Butte, Glenn, Tehama, Colusa and Sutter Counties. With the current challenges due to the ongoing pandemic, it was a great way for people to connect outdoors one of the safer places to be.
With exceptional sunny winter days all during the festival, attendees viewed and got up close and personal with the geese, ducks, cranes, herons, egrets, ibis, swans, songbirds, and raptors in all their natural splendor.
Birding memories were made that will last a lifetime and many found a new passion like no other: Birds & Birding!
Here are some highlights of the 2022 Snow Goose Festival
- NEW Snow Goose Festival Headquarters, Patrick Ranch Museum: a delightful and birdy venue.
- 159 bird species sighted or heard
- Record sightings of Golden Eagles, exciting sightings of Red-necked Grebe, Red-breasted Merganser, Short-eared Owl, and Northern Shrike
- Butte County Big Day field trip species count 123 (2nd best record)
- A free showing of a film by a local photographer and videographer, “Birds in Sacramento Valley’s Winter Wetlands” at the Museum of Northern California Art during the Snow Goose Festival Art Exhibition
- 15 Outstanding, Dedicated, and Generous Sponsors
- 401 total registrants
- 73 California cities represented, and three from out of state: Alaska, Oregon, and Nevada
- 60 field trips were offered, most sold out!
- Most people registered for multiple trips over the 4 days.
- 55 excellent and experienced field trip leaders volunteered their time and energy
- We had awesome volunteers who helped at Patrick Ranch (Trish, Tom, Laura, Wendy, Liz, Cassie, Cindy, Cris, Steve) and at the Art Reception (Cathy, Celeste, John, Sue).
- Staff was outstanding (Jennifer, Carla, Mary)
See you next year at the 23rd
Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway
January 26 - 29, 2023!
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.
Western Canal Water District Webcam
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)
Supporting Sponsors - Great Blue Heron ($1,000 or more)
- Denis and Carlla Westphal