Sacramento Wildlife Refuge - Willows, California, USA

Welcome to Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge near Willows, California, where migrating birds stop to rest and feed along the Pacific Flyway. The camera looks across a seasonal pond with narrow channels winding through the marsh. On busy fall and winter days, ducks can crowd the open water while flocks settle along the banks.

Look for northern pintails, which you can pick out by their slim necks and, on adult males, long pointed tails. Snow geese and Ross’s geese also visit the refuge in winter. Come back in spring as the ponds recede and you may see a different group of travelers: shorebirds probing the exposed mud for food.

Did You Know? Refuge staff flood the seasonal wetlands in stages each fall, opening up fresh feeding areas as migrating birds arrive.

Watch more live bird cams, or see what gathers around other freshwater habitats on the lake and river cams.