This great wildlife preserve in the San Joaquin Valley, two hours south of the East Bay, totals more than 50,000 acres of marshes and riparian woodlands. It also provides one of the greatest wildlife spectacles still found in California. In the winter, the marshes hold countless thousands of geese, raptors, ibis, ducks and great flocks of shorebirds, all in constant motion. Sandhill cranes give their long trumpeting calls as they fly overhead; thousands of Snow geese suddenly rise up with a great honking and clattering of wings. We see Great Horned owls sitting silently in the willows. Over the course of the day, we usually observe fifty or more species of birds, and occasionally mammals such as otter, elk, cottontails or deer. Bring lunch and drinks; tour is mostly by car, with minimal walking. Outstanding opportunities for bird photography.