Afternoon Tour of the City of Davis Wetlands

September is ''fattening –up'' time for Swainson's Hawks before they head on their migration south. Members of the public are invited to join docent Betty Berteaux on a free tour of The City of Davis to view these and other bird species on Saturday September 1st, 3:00-5:00pm. Swainson's Hawks can currently be seen in large numbers sitting in newly plowed fields catching rodents and insects, or ''kettling'' in circles as they catch thermals which carry them effortlessly high in the sky. Similar to Red-tailed Hawks in size, Swainson's Hawks can be identified in flight by the pale front or leading edge of the wing underside. Red-tailed Hawks in contrast have a darker leading wing edge. Swainson's Hawks in the Sacramento region migrate to Mexico in fall, returning here in spring. Their numbers have decreased dramatically as a result of urban development on former agricultural land. In addition to several raptor species, The City of Davis Wetlands provides habitat for a large number of birds including Great Egrets, Ring-necked Pheasants, Black-crowned Night-Herons and shorebirds such as Least Sandpipers, Greater Yellowlegs and Long-billed Dowitchers. All those wishing to join this free tour should meet a few minutes before 3:00 pm at the gate in front of the City's wastewater treatment plant, east of the Yolo County landfill on Road 28H. No reservations are required. Directions to the tour are available on the Yolo Basin Foundation website at www.yolobasin.org. Tour participants coming from Sacramento should take the I-80 West. Turn right at the first exit, 32A, at the west end of the Yolo Causeway. Turn left at the end of the off ramp onto Road 105. Follow 105 across the railway line until reaching a T-intersection at the end of the road. Turn right onto Road 28 H. Tour participants should bring binoculars, water (no potable water on site), and field guides. Docents will have spotting scopes to enhance wildlife viewing. Most of the tour is by c