Bid4Birds Overview
The Sacramento Valley of California is one of the major wintering grounds for migratory waterbirds in the Pacific Flyway.
This same region also supports over 500,000 acres of rice which produces most of the nation's Sushi rice. When managed properly these rice fields provide essential habitat for migratory waterbirds.
Starting in 2016 the Foundation began to allocate a significant amount of its donor contributions to a program call BirdReturns, a program developed by The Nature Conservancy in partnership with the California Rice Commission in 2014.
Continuing with that legacy the Foundation is now running its own shoulder season habitat program known as Bid4Birds. This is a program that was modeled after BirdReturns and is implemented in continued partnership with the Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership. This program compensates rice farmers to flood their fields after harvest for the benefit of shorebirds, waterfowl and other waterbirds.
Program Details
Spring 2026 Program Key Details:
- Application Period: December 17, 2025 to January 7, 2026
- Approximate level of funding: $115,000
- Payment rates vary and are generated by the grower, based on their individual costs of providing the habitat.
Habitat Details:
- Time period: February 16 to May 4, 2026
- Duration: anywhere from 4 to 11 weeks
- Depth: minimum of mudflat to maximum of 4 inches throughout contract period
- Field preparations required (little to no standing vegetation)
- Contracts are ranked on timing, habitat quality, and price
Approximate Selection Timelines:
- Program applications will be accepted from December 17, 2025 to January 7, 2026
- Analysis and scoring will be conducted by January 20, 2026
- Notices of Awards and Rejections will be issued by January 30, 2026
Previous shoulder season efforts
BACKGROUND
Habitat loss and migratory bird needs
The Central Valley of California is a key stop over and winter location along the Pacific Flyway, which extends from Alaska and the Arctic down to Patagonia. Millions of ducks, geese, shorebirds, wading birds, and cranes use this migratory corridor to move between their summer and winter ranges. The Central Valley supports 30 percent of the shorebirds and 60 percent of the ducks and geese in the entire Pacific Flyway.
With significant losses of up to 95% of California’s wetlands it is critical to find a new way of providing habitat to support these millions of birds that rely on the Central Valley during their migrations.
Rice fields have a unique ability to provide surrogate wetland habitat during both the growing and post-harvest periods of the production cycle.
The Central Valley supports 30 percent of the shorebirds and 60 percent of the ducks and geese in the entire Pacific Flyway.
Using proven conservation practices the over 500,000 acres of rice produced in the northern part of the Central Valley can provide key habitat for many of these migratory birds.
The Foundation has evolved in working with partners on habitat programs since its inception. Some of these programs are Waterbirds Habitat Enhancement Program (WHEP), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and BirdReturns. All of these programs focus on providing incentive funding for farmers to integrate bird-friendly conservation practices into their farming operations.
Bid4Birds Program Inspiration
Starting in 2016 the Foundation began working in close partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to help provide funding for their innovative shoulder season habitat program called BirdReturns. TNC, in collaboration with the California Rice Commission, developed BirdReturns which uses precision science tools, current migration data, and a competitive bidding system to incentivize farmers in creating habitat for migrating shorebirds. This extremely flexible system allowed TNC to work with rice growers to create habitat exactly when and where it was needed most. Building upon the good work of TNC the Foundation has developed its own parallel program based on the key principles of TNC’s program.
The Foundation is excited to be owning and operating its own habitat enhancement program focused on providing critical shoulder season habitat for migratory birds. While many rice farmers already use bird-friendly practices during their farming operation this program is designed to provide funding for conservation-minded farmers willing to take an extra step to make their farms even more beneficial for waterbirds.
What is shoulder season habitat and why is it so critical
Many rice farmers in the Sacramento Valley of California use water to decompose their remaining rice straw after harvest. This post-harvest flooding creates over 300,000 acres of surrogate wetland habitat between October and February, the peak of migration season.
While this flooding is key to the survival of millions of wintering waterbirds there are many species that migrate early or late and arrive in the Sacramento Valley to find little to no flooded habitat. By focusing on the shoulder season, both before and after the typical post-harvest flooding period, the Foundation can provide a critical source of flooded habitat when it is most scarce and therefore most needed.
Furthermore, many of these shoulder season migrants are shorebirds which require shallower water than is typically provided during the normal post-harvest flooding periods.
Donations made to the Foundation
Many rice farmers in the Sacramento Valley of California use water to decompose their remaining rice straw after harvest. This post-harvest flooding creates over 300,000 acres of surrogate wetland habitat between October and February, the peak of migration season. While this flooding is key to the survival of millions of wintering waterbirds there are many species that migrate early or late and arrive in the Sacramento Valley to find little to no flooded habitat. By focusing on the shoulder season, both before and after the typical post-harvest flooding period, the Foundation can provide a critical source of flooded habitat when it is most scarce and therefore most needed. Furthermore, many of these shoulder season migrants are shorebirds which require shallower water than is typically provided during the normal post-harvest flooding periods.
