Effie Yeaw Center Welcomes Winter Birds

Every Sac neighborhood has something unique to offer. Carmichael’s somewhat secret offering is as an urban oasis for the birds. The Effie Yeaw Nature Center is an award winning environmental and cultural center located in the American River Parkway.

The 100-acre nature preserve features interpretive trails that meander through lush woodlands and provide opportunities for sightings of deer, coyotes, raptors, wild turkeys, and migratory songbirds. While the swallows and warblers migrate south in the winter, cranes, ducks, geese, gulls, kinglets, and sparrows are in their full seasonal glory. Three Birds of Winter seminars and field studies will be offered through late February, giving guests the opportunity to learn more about the lives of these local fowl.

Winter weekend activities include Birding for Families, a look into the differences between beavers and otters, a nature’s art class, and how to be a nature detective.

The center provides a variety of attractions throughout the year including the replica Maidu Indian summer village, Discovery Shop, and interactive exhibits. There are also resident animals (owls, hawks, turtles, frogs, and snakes) that have been unable to be released back into the wild and have become occasional ambassadors for the center or are on in display in the Discovery Room.