Celebrating 26 Years!
The 26th Annual Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway was a tribute to the joy of birding and the organization of local birders and friends of birders that gathered to celebrate this festival. Jennifer Patten, one of several co-founders of the festival, stepped down from her role as Festival Director for the first 25 years and finally enjoyed the roles of field trip attendee and co-leader.
Here are some highlights of the
2026 Snow Goose Festival
- The Snow Goose Festival Headquarters at Patrick Ranch Museum provided a venue rich in the heritage and architecture of a 19th century farm.
- Birds of Prey were a big force during West Coast Falconry Assembly on Sunday. Families and adults had an unforgettable experience seeing raptors in flight right over their heads!
- 134 bird species sighted or heard
- “Gathering of Wings” banquet, silent auction & keynote speaker Kate Marianchild, who spoke of the secrets of the oak woodlands. There were 223 banquet attendees, live music by John Seid and friends, and 43 silent auction and raffle donors.
- 23 Outstanding, Dedicated, and Generous Sponsors
- 633 total registrants
- 370 people attended the free Museum of Northern California Art “Perch, Flutter, Soar” Snow Goose Festival Art Reception. The exhibit featured a 100 pieces of art and a variety of media.
- 106 California cities represented, and interstate travelers came from Oregon, Nevada, and New York.
- 59 field trips and 4 workshops; 37 field trips sold out.
- Mauricio and Jeremy Schrader led a birding walk in Lower Bidwell Park specifically for group of ten developmentally disabled adults from the Little Red Hen program in Chico, CA.
- 81 excellent and experienced field trips leaders and workshop presenters, who volunteered their time and energy.
We had awesome “Super Snow Goose” Volunteers
Field Trip Coordination: Trish & Tom Reilly
Exhibitor Coordinator: Karen Smith
Silent Auction: Celeste Garcia, Sandy Makau, Jennifer Patten, Tammie Loftin, Bill Bynum, Dave Garcia, Marcie Ligammarie, Annette Roth, Craig Roth , Cathy Mueller, Shelby Hebert
Art Reception: Cathy Carter, Paula Sunn, Tania Aguilar
Jr Naturalist Activities: Tania Aguilar and National Charity League-Mother/Daughter
Publicity: Carla Resnick
Facebook: Claire Green
Patrick Ranch Set-Up and Operation: Brent Blake, Cassie Corridoni, Diana Hoffmeister, Elena Ferch, Ellie Mahoney, Gabrielle Broche, Hilary Locke, Jean Kesthely, Jimi Logsdon, Joan Mitchell, Liz Webster, Maria Christoff, Mark Hooper, Mary Wrysinski, Pam Scheideman, Ryan Schwalm, Shelby Hebert, Stephen Muser, and Wendy Pine
See you next year at the
27th Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway,
January 28 - 31, 2027
Webcam at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge
Explore.org added a webcam at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. Snow Geese, Northern Pintails, and Greater White-fronted Geese can currently be seen.
Western Canal Water District Webcam
I just returned from the Snow Goose Festival in sunny, beautiful Chico, California. The events were fun, the field trips were great, the birds were enjoyable, and the people were terrific! Seeing all the waterfowl in their freshest breeding plumages was a real treat to me. My mom tells me I got excited about seeing ducks before I could talk. And those ducks still get me excited to this day. What’s not to like about a cinnamon teal? Or a shoveler or pintail? And raptors were present in good numbers, too. It was exciting for me to see golden eagles, prairie falcons, and one of my favorite hawks — the ferruginous hawk.
— Greg Miller, 13th Snow Goose Festival keynote speaker, and was featured in the book/movie "The Big Year"
