Oxbow Heron Rookey
Map SatelliteIn this typical valley riparian setting on the Sacramento River there is a large heron rookery. Both the great blue heron, Ardea nerodias, and the common egret, Casmerodius albus, nest here in some numbers. Ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, are frequently sighted along the river.
The vegetation is riparian, with the overstory cottonwood, Populus fremontii, sycamore, Platanus racemosa, valley oak, Quercus lobata, and willows, Salix sp. It is surrounded by grassland, interspersed with some sloughs.
Integrity: The area is pristine; however, the surrounding land is cultivated.
Use: Private
February 1976
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman