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Discover the Flyway

Field Trips September - March, and May

Welcome to Discover the Flyway, where students embark on an unforgettable adventure through one of California’s most important natural habitats. This hands-on field trip takes learning beyond the classroom, offering students the chance to explore the incredible world of wetlands, and the wildlife and migratory birds that depend on them. 

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Logistics

Discover the Flyway field trips start at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Headquarters. Students rotate through wetland themed science learning activities or a social science unit (see options below).  All activities are hands-on, interactive, and inquiry based. 

The morning activities are followed by a 20 – 30 minute break for lunch (not provided) at the Yolo Demonstration Wetlands. The field trip continues after lunch with the distribution of loaner binoculars and bird I.D. cards followed by a binocular lesson. Then students load up in their bus or chaperoned cars and caravan to the nearby Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area for a time of discovery before returning to school.

  • Field trips are offered Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
  • Chaperones: minimum of one adult chaperone for each learning activity selected

Discover the Flyway Field Trip Options

Science Field Trips

Three Activity Field Trip with Tour

  • $315.00
  • 15-30 students
  • 4.5 hours
  • 3 learning activities
  • K-12th grade

Three Activity Field Trip without Tour

  • $240.00
  • 15-30 students
  • 2.5 hours
  • 3 learning activities
  • K-12th grade

Four Activity Field Trip with Tour

  • $340.00
  • 15-40 students
  • 5 hours
  • 4 learning activities
  • K-12th grade

Four Activity Field Trip without Tour

  • $265.00
  • 15-40 students
  • 3 hours
  • 4 learning activities
  • K-12th grade
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Social Science Field Trips

One Unit, Four Activity Field Trip with Tour

  • $340.00
  • 15-40 students
  • 5 hours
  • 4 learning activities
  • 3rd-4th grade

One Unit, Four Activity Field Trip without Tour

  • $265.00
  • 15-40 students
  • 3 hours
  • 4 learning activities
  • 3rd-4th grade
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Science Learning Activities

Choose any 3 activities for a Three Activity Science field trip. Choose any 4 activities for a Four Activity Science field trip.

Animal Tracks, Scat and Signs (1st – 6th)
Fantastic Flying Mammals (1st – 12th)
Salmon Senses (2nd – 6th)
Feathered Friends (K – 2nd)
How Do I Compare to an egret? (K – 1st)
Migration Madness (3rd – 6th)
Owl Pellets (4th – 12th)
What Can I eat With This Beak? (3rd – 6th)
Leaf I.D. (K – 2nd)
Wetland Plant I.D. (3rd – 12th)
Sinking Into Soil (K – 1st)
The Great Percolation Race (2nd – 12th)
Water Quality Testing (5th – 12th)
Wetland Pond Study (K – 12th)
Critter Caper (K – 3rd)
Pollution Solutions (4th – 8th)
Perch Protectors (3rd – 6th)
Un-Nature Trail (K – 2nd)

social Science Unit

Autumn: Acorn Season

Spring: Salmon Run!

Summer: Tule Cordage

Winter: Valley Villages

Read before registering

Before making a reservation request for a Discover the Flyway school program, please read the Discover the Flyway Program Terms and Conditions.

Reservations are available online only. First come, first served.

Teachers are required to attend a one-time Teacher Workshop before bringing students to a Discover the Flyway Field Trip. If you have never attended a Teacher Workshop and would like to reserve a date for a field trip, please register now.

Workshop Dates for 2026-27 School Year

Saturday, August 29th, 2026

Saturday, October 17th, 2026

Saturday, January 23, 2027

Discover the Flyway Common Core Reading List

Progressions within NGSS

NGSS Discover the Flyway Activity Correlation

Funding Assistance

Transportation and program fee funding assistance is available to Title I schools through Yolo Basin Foundation’s Transportation Mini-grant and Fund-A-Field-Trip grant programs . Contact Jenna Camenson, [email protected], for more information.

Volunteer

If you have a passion for conservation, an enthusiasm for sharing this with kindergarten through 12th grade students, and a desire to learn more about local wetlands, then become a docent with Discover the Flyway!

Learn More

Introduce your students to the wonders of local wetlands.

View Available Dates

Animal Tracks, Scat and Signs

Students become wildlife detectives as they search for tracks, scat, and other signs of wildlife. By identifying animal clues and discussing where they are found, students learn how habitat, diet, and physical adaptations help animals survive in their environment. This activity emphasizes observation and discovery while helping students better understand local wildlife.

Fantastic Flying Mammals

From flight and echolocation to feeding and habitat use, bats have remarkable adaptations that help them thrive. Through hands-on investigation, students explore the diversity of local bat species, learn how bats contribute to healthy ecosystems, and gain a better understanding of these often misunderstood animals.

Salmon Senses

Salmon undertake one of nature’s most remarkable migrations, traveling from freshwater streams to the ocean and back again. In this activity, students explore the salmon life cycle and discover how adaptations such as a highly developed sense of smell help salmon find their way home to spawn. Along the way, they learn about the importance of wetlands and rivers, the challenges salmon face during migration, and how people can help protect these important fish.

Feathered Friends

Students explore the diversity of local birds and the adaptations that help them survive in wetland habitats. By comparing beaks, feet, wings, calls, and nesting strategies, students identify differences between bird groups such as waterfowl, shorebirds, song birds, and birds of prey. This activity emphasizes how physical and behavioral adaptations can help birds find food, move through their environment, and thrive in different parts of the wetlands. 

How Do I Compare To An Egret?

Students compare their own height and wingspan to two common wetland birds, the Snowy Egret and the Great Egret. Through various hands-on activities they discover how these wading birds hunt, move, and survive in shallow wetland habitats. The lesson emphasized key differences between the two birds while helping students visualize how humans compare in scale to large wetland species. By the end, students gain a stronger understanding of bird adaptations, wetland food webs, and the importance of observing wildlife in their natural environment.

Migration Madness

Students explore the challenges and importance of bird migration along the Pacific Flyway. Through a movement-based simulation, they experience how wetland habitats serve as a critical stopover, breeding, and wintering sites for migratory birds. The activity highlights how changes in habitat availability can affect survival, emphasizing the role of wetlands in supporting migration and the impact of human land use and environmental change on wildlife populations.

Owl Pellets

Students investigate the diet and hunting adaptations of owls by examining and dissecting owl pellets and identifying the remains of prey animals. This activity highlights how owls function as predators within food webs, and how physical adaptations such as silent flight, sharp talons, and specialized hearing support successful hunting. Students use evidence from bones, fur, and other materials to learn about predator-prey relationships, habitat use, and ecosystem health.

What Can I Eat With This Beak?

Students explore how different bird species are adapted to feed on specific types of food found in wetland ecosystems. By comparing beak shapes and feeding strategies, students discover how birds use adaptations such as filtering, probing, spearing, and tearing to access different food sources. The activity highlights how these differences allow many bird species to coexist in the same habitat by reducing competition and using different ecological niches.

Leaf I.D.

Students explore the diversity of wetland plants by examining and comparing leaves of different shapes, sizes, textures, and colors. Through observation and hands-on activities, students learn about leaf functions and discover how leaf characteristics can help identify different plant species. This activity highlights the importance of plants in wetland ecosystems and emphasizes how plant adaptations help species survive in different environmental conditions.

Wetland Plant I.D.

In this activity, students investigate the diversity of native wetland plants by exploring different habitat types and using field guides to identify species found throughout the wetlands. As they compare plant characteristics and discover where different species grow, students learn how plant adaptations help them survive in conditions ranging from permanently flooded wetlands to dry grasslands. The activity highlights the important role native plants play in providing food and shelter for wildlife, supporting healthy ecosystems, and sustaining the interconnected web of life within wetland habitats.

Sinking Into Soil

Students investigate the properties of different soil types by observing, comparing, and handling samples of sand, potting soil, and clay. As they explore the differences in texture, composition, and water-holding capacity, students learn how soil influences plant growth, water movement, and habitat formation. This activity highlights the important role of clay soils in creating and sustaining wetland ecosystems, helping students understand how the physical characteristics of soil shape the landscape and support life.

The Great Percolation Race

In this activity, students become soil scientists, investigating how water moves through different types of soil. Through observation, hypothesis formulation, and experimentation, students compare the infiltration and percolation rates of different soils. As they explore how particle size and pore space affect water movement, students discover why clay-rich soils are essential for creating and sustaining wetland habitats. This activity highlights the important role soil plays in shaping ecosystems, supporting plant growth, and influencing the movement and storage of water.

Water Quality Testing

Students work through a variety of water quality tests as they investigate the health of a wetland pond. By measuring factors such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and dissolved solids, students learn how physical and chemical conditions influence the organisms that live in aquatic ecosystems. This activity emphasizes scientific observation, data collection, and critical thinking while helping students understand the importance of clean and healthy water.

Wetland Pond Study

Students explore the hidden world of wetland ponds by collecting and observing aquatic organisms. Through close investigation, they discover the diversity of aquatic macroinvertebrates and other pond life, while learning about the adaptations that help these organisms survive in this habitat. This activity highlights the interconnected nature of wetland food webs and demonstrates how the abundance and diversity of pond organisms can serve as indicators of ecosystem health.

Critter Caper

Students discover the unique world of California’s vernal pools and the specialized plants and animals that depend on these seasonal wetlands. Through hands-on activities and guided investigation, students learn how vernal pools form, explore the remarkable adaptations that allow species to survive changing conditions, and examine the connections between habitat, biodiversity, and ecosystem health. This activity highlights the ecological importance of vernal pools, the challenges they face from habitat loss, and the role people can play in protecting these rare and valuable ecosystems.

Pollution Solutions

Students explore how human activities affect watershed, and wetlands, with an emphasis on vernal pools, through a hands-on watershed model. Using an interactive landscape, they investigate how common pollutants can be carried by rainwater into streams, rivers, wetlands, and groundwater. Students observe how pollution moves through a watershed, discuss its impacts on water quality, wildlife, and habitats, and learn practical ways to reduce pollution in their own communities.

Perch Protectors

Students investigate the conservation challenges facing the native California fish species Sacramento Perch, a California Species of Special Concern that has been extirpated from its historic Central Valley range. Through a hands-on fish monitoring activity, students learn how habitat loss, introduced species, drought, and climate change have contributed to population declines. The lesson highlights the importance of biodiversity, species adaptations, and long-term monitoring while demonstrating how conservation efforts can help protect vulnerable species.

Un-Nature Trail

Students explore how human-made litter affects ecosystems in this hands-on scavenger hunt activity. They search for hidden objects that do not belong in a natural wetland environment, distinguishing between natural and unnatural materials while learning how wildlife can be impacted by pollution. The activity reinforces the idea that ecosystems are interconnected and that even small pieces of waste can accumulate and cause long-term harm. Through observation and discussion, they build awareness of human impact, habitat health, and personal responsibility in protecting natural spaces.