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.
Spring Program Details
- Enrollment opens: January 16, 2023
- Deadline: Monday, January 30, 2023
- Commitments 4 to 8 weeks
- Flooding with a maximum of 4″of water on fields
- Post-harvest straw management required
- 50 acres minimum
Previous shoulder season efforts
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
7991
Acres Enrolled
46
Completed Habitat Projects
350k
Birds Counted in 2019
BACKGROUND
Habitat loss and migratory bird needs
The Central Valley supports 30 percent of the shorebirds and 60 percent of the ducks and geese in the entire Pacific Flyway.
Bid4Birds Program Inspiration
What is shoulder season habitat and why is it so critical

Donations made to the Foundation
