SAVE THE DATE — California Swan Festival, Nov 12–15

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Our events raise the funds that protect land — and get people out onto it. All hosted by Sutter Buttes Land Trust.
Our biggest event

California Swan Festival

November 12–15, 2026

Celebrating the return of tundra swans and other waterfowl to our region — four days of guided tours, presenters, and family activities.

Visit the Festival Page
sblt-logo-vertical (002) Administrative Assistant SBRLT

Annual

Calendar Contest & Reception

Local photographers’ best images of the Sutter Buttes region become our annual calendar.

Contest details →

Hosted by MMIH

Sunset Serenade

An evening of music, food, and conversation as the sun sets behind the Buttes.

Event details →

Year-round

Get Outside

Swans, the Sutter Buttes, places to explore locally, and wildlife viewing tips.

Explore the region→
sblt-logo-vertical (002) Administrative Assistant SBRLT

California Swan Festival 

November 13–15, 2026

Celebrating the return of tundra swans and other waterfowl to our region — three days of guided tours, presenters, and our biggest fundraiser of the year.

Proudly hosted by Sutter Buttes Land Trust

All festival proceeds directly benefit local land conservation and wildlife habitat protection.

Purpose

Why we hold the festival

Each winter, tundra swans travel thousands of miles down the Pacific Flyway to winter in the rice fields and wetlands around the Sutter Buttes. The festival exists to celebrate that arrival — and to show why the working farmland they depend on is worth protecting.

 

It is also our largest annual fundraiser. Proceeds go directly to conserving land and habitat in Sutter, Yuba, and Colusa counties.

North Butte at a glance
Dates
Nov 13–15, 2026
Length
3 Days
Hosted by
Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust
Website
caswanfestival.org
Venue details for the new location to be added.
Tours

Guided tours & field trips

Festival tours take small groups out to see swans, geese, and raptors on private and public land around the Buttes, led by experienced local guides.

Swan viewing tours

Evening and early morning outings to the flooded rice fields where the swans gather.

Sutter Buttes hikes

Guided walks into the Buttes — rare access to a privately owned mountain range.

Working lands tours

Visits to rice farms and conserved ranches to see agriculture and habitat side by side.

Cancellation policy

Tours run rain or shine. Cancellations made more than 14 days before the festival receive a full refund; after that, tickets may be transferred to another guest.

To cancel or transfer, call 530-755-3568 or email info@sutterbutteslandtrust.org.

Final policy wording and tour schedule to be confirmed.

Guide Bios

Meet your guides

Our guides are naturalists, farmers, and long-time residents who know this landscape intimately.

Guide Name

Bio to be added

Guide Name

Bio to be added

Guide Name

Bio to be added

Guide Name

Bio to be added

Registration

Register & liability release

Registration opens ahead of the festival. Tours have limited capacity and typically sell out, so early booking is recommended.

 

All participants must sign a liability release before joining a tour. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.

Registration opens
TBC
Tour pricing
TBC
Liability release
Required
Go to Festival Website
Calendar Contest & Reception

Our annual photo contest

Every year, local photographers submit their best images of the Sutter Buttes and surrounding region. Winning photos become our annual calendar — now a member benefit and, for the first time, a successful fundraiser.

Winners are celebrated at a reception where the new calendar is unveiled and prints are available.

Submit Your Photos
Photo Requirements
Sunset Serenade

An evening on the land

Our members-and-friends evening event: music, food, and conversation as the sun sets behind the Buttes.

A relaxed way to meet the people protecting this landscape — staff, board, landowners, and neighbors.

Members Get Invited First
North Butte at a glance
Date
To be announced
Location
To be announced
Tickets
To be announced
Get Outside

Explore the region

You don’t need to wait for the festival. Here’s what to look for, and where to go, across Sutter, Yuba, and Colusa counties.

The Swans of the Sutter Buttes: A Winter Spectacle

Each winter, the skies and wetlands of the Yuba-Sutter region are transformed by the arrival of tens of thousands of migrating swans. The shadow of the Sutter Buttes and the surrounding flooded agricultural lands serve as a critical wintering ground along the Pacific Flyway, offering a vital sanctuary for these magnificent waterfowl.

Swan Species in the Region

The most prominent visitor to our region is the Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus). Weighing up to 20 pounds with a wingspan of over five feet, these striking all-white birds are identifiable by their black bills, which often feature a small yellow teardrop marking near the eye. While much rarer, the slightly larger Trumpeter Swan is also occasionally spotted mingling in the winter flocks.

An Incredible Migration

Tundra Swans undertake a grueling, 3,000-mile migration from their summer breeding and nesting grounds in the remote Arctic tundra of Alaska and Northern Canada. Traveling in classic V-formations and communicating with a distinct, high-pitched, melodic honking, they arrive in the Central Valley starting in November and stay through February before making the long journey back north.

Habitat & Regional Connection

The Sacramento Valley provides the perfect winter habitat. The shallow waters of our local wetlands and flooded post-harvest rice fields allow the swans to safely roost and forage for tubers, aquatic plants, and leftover agricultural grain. This unique, symbiotic relationship between local agriculture and wildlife management is what allows the swans to rebuild their energy reserves for the spring migration.

Conservation & Habitat Protection

The continued return of these migratory flocks depends entirely on habitat preservation. Protecting remaining natural wetlands and establishing conservation easements on local agricultural lands is critical to their survival. By safeguarding these open spaces around the Sutter Buttes, we ensure that the Pacific Flyway remains a viable route for swans and millions of other migratory birds for generations to come.

Sutter Buttes

Often called the smallest mountain range in the world — a circular volcanic formation rising abruptly from the flat floor of the Sacramento Valley, visible for fifty miles in every direction.

The Buttes are almost entirely privately owned, so access is by guided hike. We offer them on our North Butte property through Middle Mountain Interpretive Hikes.

How to visit →

Explore locally

Nearby public lands and refuges worth a visit, especially in the winter months.

Gray Lodge Wildlife Area

One of the best waterfowl viewing spots in the valley, just north of the Buttes.

Visit

Sacramento NWR Complex

Auto tour routes and viewing platforms over managed wetlands in Colusa County.

Visit

Feather River corridor

Riparian habitat and river access near Yuba City and Olivehurst.

Visit

Middle Mountain hikes

Guided access into the Buttes themselves, through our sister organization.

Visit

Full “Explore Locally” list with the client’s numbered destinations and starred highlights to be added.

Wildlife viewing tips

Go early or late

Dawn and dusk are when waterfowl are most active and the light is best.

Stay in your vehicle

On refuge auto routes, your car is the best blind — birds tolerate it far better than people on foot.

Bring binoculars

Keep your distance and let optics do the work. Never flush a flock for a photo.

Respect private land

Most land around the Buttes is privately owned and farmed. View from public roads and pullouts only.