Snow geese and Ross’s geese was what attracted Tina Tan, a birder since 2016, who came from Fillmore in Ventura County to the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge for the 2024 Salton Sea Bird Festival on Saturday, January 13. The view from the top of the ramp at the refuge is breathtaking for every birder: over 2,000 snow geese taking off during the golden hour after sunrise to fly synchronous. Along with that, the refuge is the paradise for seeing birds from the most diverse species of any national wildlife refuge in the West with over 400 different bird species recorded and a hotspot for rare vagrant species.