Grizzly Island Wildlife Area

One of the largest tidal marsh wildlife areas in California, stretching across the southern end of the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta about 70 kilometres west of Stockton. The reserve's 9,000 hectares of tule marsh, managed wetland, and upland grassland support what is arguably the best waterbird watching in the Central Valley: greater white-fronted geese and tundra swans in winter, black-necked stilts and avocets in summer, and peregrine falcons hunting the marsh edges year-round.

The reserve is managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Access is restricted during the hunting season (typically September–January) to specific days, but the remainder of the year it is open to hikers, birdwatchers, and wildlife photographers. A long, flat access road crosses the tidal marsh and provides excellent birding from the car in winter when conditions are muddy. Take binoculars and rubber boots.

things to do sight wildlife
A story
Grizzly Island was the last stronghold of the California grizzly bear before the species was hunted to extinction in the 1920s. The wetlands and tule marshes provided cover for the bears, which had been driven from the open grasslands of the Central Valley by the cattle ranching that followed American settlement. The last confirmed California grizzly was killed in 1922, and the bear has been the state symbol ever since — appearing on the state flag while existing nowhere in California.