The City of Davis Wetlands will be open for the last free morning tour of the season on Saturday August 4th, 9:00-11:00am. Members of the public are invited to experience summer in the Wetlands with docent Sami La Rocca and John McNerney, City of Davis Wildlife Specialist. From September until February, all monthly tours will change to an afternoon time slot.

Along the tour route, participants may be treated to the sight of flocks of White-faced Ibis feeding in neighboring rice fields. Often seen flying near the Yolo Causeway in ragged formation, White-faced Ibis are easily recognized by the long downward curving beak they use to probe for invertebrates. White-faced Ibis are named after the white border of feathers around the beak during breeding season. Plumage on the rest of the bird's body is a rich purple, bronze and green.

Other species that may be seen in the City of Davis Wetlands include Snowy Egrets and Black-crowned Night-Herons, American Avocets, Black-necked Stilts, Western Meadowlarks and a number of swallow species.

All those wishing to join this free tour should meet a few minutes before 9:00 am 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 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 car, with a couple of optional short walks in the wetlands.

For more information please call Sarah Ross at (530) 757-4828 or visit the Yolo Basin Foundation website at www.yolobasin.org.

The Yolo Basin Foundation works in cooperation with the City of Davis to offer the Davis Wetlands tours. Yolo Basin is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the appreciation and stewardship of w