Snowy Egret ©Zane Pickus
THE EVENT IS CANCELLED AS THE WILDLIFE AREA IS FLOODED.
Join the Yolo Audubon Society, Yolo Basin Foundation, and the Birdwatching Club at UC Davis for a joint event at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area. On Saturday, February 24th, we will be hosting a “Big Sit!” You may have heard of a “Big Day” or “Big Year,” where birders attempt to see as many species as possible in a given time frame, but a Big Sit is different – instead the challenge is to detect as many species as possible while staying in one stationary location. Big Sits are popular elsewhere in the U.S., and some additional information about the concept can be found below. For our event, we will be staking out Parking Lot C at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, which will put us right in the middle of excellent marsh habitat – perfect for seeing a great variety of species. Those who attend can expect to see or hear a variety of waterfowl, rails, sparrows, herons, and shorebirds. It is certain to be a fun day for all involved!
Unlike many birding field trips, this event is special in that participants may come and go as they please. Feel free to drop by for a few minutes, an hour, or longer! We want this trip to be accessible to as many people as possible, and hope that everyone interested can come to share in enjoying the birds and the wildlife area. Bring binoculars, a scope if you have one, and excitement about birds! Besides our Big Sit area, the rest of the Yolo Bypass auto tour loop is sure to be full of birds and worth exploring on your own.
Birders from Yolo Audubon Society, Yolo Basin Foundation and the Birdwatching Club at UC Davis will plan to arrive at Parking Lot C at the Yolo Bypass just after sunrise (6:45am) on the morning of February 24th. We will have a table with information on local birds, the organizations involved, and extra binoculars to share. No prior birding experience is necessary, and the area is handicap accessible.
Additionally, we will keep a running list of species detected throughout the day. The Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Big Sit will conclude at 1:00pm.
Winter birding events are always at risk of bad weather. A postponement will occur in the event that the wildlife area is closed due to flooding, or if heavy rain is projected on the day of the Big Sit. Please check back on the Yolo Audubon Society’s website and facebook page for more details, or contact Zane Pickus, zanep987@gmail.com for the latest information.
Traditional Big Sit! Information: https://www.thebigsit.org/
A map of the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=99259&inline