The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is offering free swan tours in Yuba County near Marysville on select Saturdays, November through early January.

The 2023-24 swan tour dates are scheduled for Nov. 4, 18 and 25; Dec. 2, 9, 16 and 30; Jan. 6. Two tours are offered each day at 9:30 a.m. and at 1 p.m.

Pre-registration is required by contacting Genelle Treaster, CDFW North Central Region, at genelle.treaster@wildlife.ca.gov.

Held in partnership with Mathews Rice farming operation, this area boasts one of the largest populations of overwintering tundra swans in the Central Valley as well as abundant geese, ducks, shorebirds and raptors.

These popular, naturalist-led tours last approximately two hours. In caravan fashion, the tours traverse flooded rice fields filled with migratory and resident birds, with periodic stops to watch and learn about the wildlife.