Thousands of sandhill cranes spend the fall and winter in the Delta around Lodi, and the 28th Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival celebrates their return on Friday through Sunday, Nov. 6-8.

The basics

  • Where: Hutchins Street Square Community Center, 125 S. Hutchins St., Lodi.
  • When: Opening events Friday, Nov. 6, from 6 to 8 p.m.; full festival Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the festival and Visit Lodi.
  • Cost: Admission is free. Tours are priced separately.
  • Early arrivals: The festival says pre-festival tours run Wednesday through Friday.

At the square there are talks and workshops, a wildlife art show, vendors and conservation exhibits, plus family activities.

The tours

The festival's schedule lists a wide range of guided trips. A few examples and their listed prices:

  • Crane fly-in at Woodbridge Ecological Reserve, South Unit: Watch thousands of cranes come in at dusk over flooded fields, with a state Fish and Wildlife docent talk. $23-$30.
  • Farms, Floodplains and Flyways: A caravan tour of Staten Island farmland. $20-$25.
  • Delta Birding Sunset Cruise: Waterfowl, cranes and tundra swans from the water. $43-$50.
  • Eagles and Their Environment: A Pardee Reservoir cruise looking for golden and bald eagles. $58-$65.
  • Early-morning fly-out: Sunrise at Woodbridge Reserve with crane experts. $45.

Tours are booked through the festival's website, and some fill up, so check before you make the drive.

See the cranes on your own

You don't have to go on a tour. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says you can watch cranes any evening at the South Unit of the Woodbridge Ecological Reserve without a reservation. But anyone 16 or older needs a CDFW Lands Pass or a current fishing or hunting license. A one-day Lands Pass costs $5.66 online.

CDFW also runs its own guided crane tours on the first three weekends of each month from October through February, skipping festival weekend. Its listed November dates are Nov. 14, 15, 21 and 22. Registration opens at noon on the first working day of the month for the following month's tours.

About the birds

The cranes start arriving in the Delta and Central Valley in about late September, CDFW says. The festival's association says sandhill cranes stand 4.5 to 5 feet tall with a wingspan of 5 to 7 feet, and are known for their rolling calls and courtship dances.