Bird Watching Spots in the Delta
Love our feathered friends? Home to hundreds of different species, the California Delta is a premiere bird watching destination. Go birding on your own or flock together – you can book tours and workshops with the Sacramento Audubon Society, Yolo Basin Foundation, Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, and Cosumnes River Preserve.
The majestic, four-foot-tall Sandhill Cranes make the Delta their home each winter as they migrate along the Pacific Flyway. Docent-led tours are available through California Department of Fish and Wildlife during the fall and winter, and the Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival in November each year offers tours and other activities.
Other regional bird events include the Galt Winter Bird Festival each January, the Central Valley Birding Symposium every November, and California Duck Days during the spring.
Check out these many fantastic bird-watching spots around the Delta!
1Dow Wetlands Preserve
Antioch
925.779.6137
Website
2Contra Loma Regional Park
1200 Fredrickson Lane, Antioch
888.327.2757
Website
3Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge
Fulton Shipyard Road, Antioch
707.769.4200
Website
4Decker Island Wildlife Area
3 miles south of Rio Vista at the north end of Decker Island on the Sacramento River, BOAT ONLY
707.428.2002
Website
5Miner Slough Wildlife Area
10 miles north of Rio Vista at the junction of Miner Slough and Cache Slough, BOAT ONLY
707.428.2002
Website
6Calhoun Cut Ecological Reserve
15 miles south of Dixon on Highway 113, BOAT ONLY
707.428.2002
Website
7Bay Point Regional Shoreline
End of McAvoy Road, Bay Point
888.327.2757
Website
8Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area
45211 County Road 32B, Davis
530.757.2461
Website
9Yolo Basin Foundation
45211 County Road 32B, Davis
530.757.3780
Website
10Jepson Prairie Preserve
Rio Dixon Road & Cook Lane, Dixon
707.432.0150
Website
11Liberty Island Ecological Reserve
Liberty Island Road, Dixon
707.428.2002
Website
12Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
1624 Hood Franklin Road, Elk Grove
916.775.4421
Website
13Cosumnes River Preserve
13501 Franklin Boulevard, Galt
916.684.2816
Website
14Woodbridge Ecological Reserve
Woodbridge Road, Lodi
209.234.3435
Website
15Big Break Visitor Center at the Delta
69 Big Break Road, Oakley
Features a walkable map of the Delta!
510.544.3050
Website
16Brown's Island
Pittsburg
510.544.3095
Website
17Rhode Island Wildlife Area
Rhode Island, BOAT ONLY
707.428.2002
Website
18Lower Sherman Island Wildlife Area
Hwy 160 to Sherman Island Rd. to Mayberry Slough near confluence of Sacramento River. BOAT ONLY, Rio Vista
707.428.2002
Website
19Brannan Island State Recreation Area
17645 State Highway 160, Rio Vista
916.777.6671
Website
20Franks Tract State Recreation Area
Southeast of Brannan Island between False River and Bethel Island. BOAT ONLY, Rio Vista
925.447.0426
Website
21Miller Regional Park
2701 Marina View Drive, Sacramento
916.808.5200
Website
22Discovery Park
1600 Garden Highway, Sacramento
916.875.6961
Website
23Mandeville Tip Park
San Joaquin River (Boat Access Only), Stockton
24Port of Stockton
2201 Washington Street, Stockton
209.946.0246
Website
25Spud Island Recreation Area
2 Spud Island, Stockton
209.946.0246
26Oak Grove Regional Park
4520 Eight Mile Road, Stockton
209.953.8800
Website
27River Walk Park
651 2nd Street, West Sacramento
916.617.4620
Website