In cooperation with the Friends of the Swainson’s Hawk and Sacramento chapter of the Audubon Society, the Conservancy hosted an on-site visit and tour with 47 wildlife lovers recently. The group, under the direction of Frank Gray, toured the Conservancy’s Silva tract. The group identified ruddy ducks, white-faced ibis (an NBHCP “Covered Species”), wild turkey, marsh wrens, Western kingbird, Black-necked stilts, Pied-billed grebes and many other species. The tour was arranged at a time when there was least likely to be disturbance to the NBHCP’s list of species the site was designed to serve as a refuge for. This was a particularly well-informed group, and even so, there were many excellent questions about the preserves and how the Conservancy operates. It was good to have the group back out on site again.
Big bird
Photo taken by Conservancy staff at a Conservancy preserve, 2025. With this article is a photo of a Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) in flight. It’s on one of the Conservancy’s marsh complexes. While the Conservancy has prepared the preserves mostly for the benefit of the Swainson’s hawk (Buteo swainsoni), …