Spreading Our Wings at the 2026 Snow Goose Festival!

The Northern California Regional Land Trust had a hoot of a time last month participating in the 26th Annual Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway!

The festival was spectacular four-day event that hosted over 60 hikes, a "Gathering of Wings" Banquet, the “Perch, Flutter, Soar” Art Reception, and weekend full of activities, workshops, and exhibitors at the Patrick Ranch Museum. There’s nothing better than being able to see a community of passionate and inquisitive individuals come together to celebrate the beautiful diversity that surrounds us.

As previous sponsors, exhibitors, and participants of the Snow Goose Festival, 2026 is the first year that NCRLT has hosted hikes during the event, to great success! Leading the helm, our stewardship manager and birder extraordinaire, Kim Armstrong. Alongside her, our very own executive director Cynthia Perrine and professor/CDFW wildlife biologist John Perrine, brilliant birders with eagle sharp eyes!

Let’s get into the field trips!

Thursday, we set off bright and early to explore western Tehama County, with our first stop at the Paskenta Cemetery! Throughout our visit, western meadow larks sang us a tune, their yellow feathers catching fresh rays of morning sunlight. As one of my favorite bird calls, it set a comfortable tone to the day. We were out of the office, breathing in fresh air, and exploring new places on the look out for hollow boned marvels.

Binoculars were up and scanning the skies for birds at Paskenta Cemetery!

Before we departed, Roy Ekland (right) visited the group to share about his property up the hill, a holistically managed working cattle ranch nestled in the oak woodland foothills.

Next stop was Thomes Gorge Trailhead, a spot 2000 feet above sea level that offered us outstanding views of the valley below. Here, folks caught sight (and sound) of a California thrasher!

Coats and scarves were shed as the day warmed. An adventurous few went down to a cold, running stream, the air noticeably chillier.

On the way back up, I had a lovely conversation about “spark birds,” a significant bird that first sparked our love for birding. Answers included a great horned owl, an abundance of magpies, and my personal spark bird, a green heron.

After a short walk and lunch at the trailhead, our caravan did some roadside birding on our way to our final destination, Raging Bull Winery, who kindly hosted us for a private tasting of their award winning wines. Chatter was gentle, dogs were pet, and a toast lifted our thin stemmed glasses. What a delight!

The wine was wonderful and just look at those puppy dog eyes!

Friday morning saw us enveloped in fog, bluish and brisk. Despite this, we prevailed! Birds perched on skeletal branches, feathers fluffed up from the chill. On this day, we invited people to explore two of our conservation easements with private access to Deer Creek riparian forests. Our first stop was at Hamilton Ranch, a working cattle ranch where wildlife-friendly grazing and ranching has been practiced for generations. John Perrine taught those newer to birding how to use and adjust their binoculars, a review I was grateful as I adjusted the settings on my new binoculars, perplexed.

Here the group saw a partially leucistic turkey vulture, white feathers bright despite the fog.

Binos are once again pointed upwards! You can see how thick that morning fog was, chilly too!

After a walk along the levee, we drove to the Abbey of New Clairvaux, an abbey of the Cistercian order, built from the stones of an original 12th-century abbey that once stood in Guadalajara, Spain. We continued birding as the sun peeked out, tripping on buried grape vines and listening intently, before a section of the group broke off for a tour of the church building. Those within the church who chose to stay, sat quietly listening to the monks sing. The tasting room was packed, a mix of attendees from birding tours and outside visitors mingling and sipping on quality wines. Many left with a bottle of their favorite taste.

On these trips, the NCRLT team met those from both near and far places, with differing skill levels and opinions on birds they were hoping to see. How wonderful then, that we were all able to come together and connect through a shared love of birds. Thank you to those who attended our trips and others who stopped by our table during the exhibitor event that weekend.

We would also like to extend a sincere thank you to AltaCal for making this event a reality! Without the organizers putting in months of effort, and the dedicated volunteers contributing their time and expertise, this fantastic festival could not have happened. Everyone did such an incredible job and we’re looking forward to leading more hikes for the festival in the future!