The Seasons of Birding: Winter birding along the Sacramento River. Birds wintering in Northern California rule the air and the water. Look up, check ponds and bay and definitely visit the agriculture fields and preserves along the Sacramento River. There you will see cranes, geese, and plovers, oh my. This post is about our two 2024 long (up well before dark, home after dark) one day Winter Birding trips to the Pacific flyway along the Sacramento River. The first trip long trip focused on winter birds north of Sacramento. The second trip focused on winter birds south of San Francisco Long Day trip number 1: . North of Sacramento Loop, January 27th: Our Northern loop started with a search for the Northern Shrike. The Northern shrike had been reported in a meadow at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge Rio Vista Unit. Th...