Pacific Flyway

The Pacific Flyway migration is often described as a ”highway in the sky.“ Picture a four-lane freeway in the sky, traveled by millions of birds fluttering wings of many different colors, patterns and sizes. In all reality this picture isn’t far from the truth

The Pacific Flyway migration is the most visible seasonal movement of wildlife in the state. Four to six million water birds fly up and down the California coast, traveling from their summer breeding grounds in arctic or sub-arctic areas such as Alaska and Canada.

Some of these long distance migrants will spend the winter along our coast, while others will stop only briefly to rest and feed before continuing south to Mexico, Central America or even as far as South America. December is a peak time to see these migratory and resident water birds, including great egrets, snowy egrets, great blue herons, long-billed curlew, marbled godwits, avocets, black-necked stilts, white pelicans, least sandpipers, willets, pelagic cormorants, western grebes, surf scoters and many, many more.