The California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation (Foundation) is happy to announce the upcoming application period for the Spring Bid4Birds habitat program. 

The Bid4Birds Program focuses on extending the flooding period in rice fields for the benefit of waterbirds, particularly shorebirds. While the standard winter flooding period is beneficial for many migrating waterbirds on the Pacific Flyway, there are a variety of species that stay later or pass through the area after most rice fields and marshes are drying down. Providing flooded habitat during this time is especially critical.

In the spring, Bid4Birds provides incentive payments for growers to implement shallow flooding on their rice fields for 4 to 11 weeks between February 16 and May 4. The Foundation solicits participants through a reverse auction in which growers submit bids based on an assessment of their costs to provide this critical habitat. The Bid4Birds Habitat Selection Committee, including representatives from Audubon California, California Rice Commission, Point Blue Conservation Science, and The Nature Conservancy, will assess bids in a standardized way using data on when and where birds need the habitat most.

Bids can be submitted through the Foundation website from December 17, 2025, to January 7, 2026. 

If you have any questions about the program or would just like to learn more, please visit the Bid4Birds webpage or contact Kristin Sesser, Wildlife Programs Manager with the California Rice Commission at (916) 607-8988 or ksesser@calrice.org.