Greater White-fronted Geese at the Consumnes River Preserve

The Cosumnes River in California's Sierra Nevada and Great Valley is unique in one very important respect: it is the only free flowing river left in the region. Although dams have been proposed at various times during the last century, none were ever built, so the upper river retains some of its primeval character (aside from the logging and gold mining, anyway). The lower reaches on the valley floor and near the delta were heavily modified for agricultural development, but a variety of agencies and organizations have cobbled together a unified protected area of 50,000 acres (nearly 80 square miles) called the Consumnes River Preserve. It is critical habitat for thousands upon thousands of migratory birds, as well as a great many year-round residents.

The Preserve's Visitor Center is easily accessed from Interstate 5 between Stockton and Sacramento, so it made for a pleasant first stop on our way north today for our holiday travels. A number of birds were about, including a small gaggle of Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons) feeding on an embankment near the end of one of the boardwalks.

The White-fronted Geese breed in the far north, and migrate in winter to a series of refuges along the length of the Great Valley, Texas, and on into Mexico. I often see them in massive flocks at the San Joaquin National Wildlife Refuge, but it is less often that I get to see them up close like I did today.