Episode 27: The Birds

It took longer than normal, but fortunately it is happening. A shallow amount of water is showing up in rice fields throughout the Sacramento Valley – essentially a welcome mat for the 10 million ducks, geese and other wildlife migrating through our area for their annual Pacific Flyway journey.

This year was the driest in a century in California. The water shortage led to about 100,000 fewer acres of rice planted in the Sacramento Valley. It also threatened to leave many rice fields without a shallow amount of water after harvest, which helps decompose leftover straw and provides vital wildlife habitat.

Fortunately, through an innovative new program and a large recent rainstorm, the outlook for migrating wildlife has improved.

“We went from historic drought to record-setting rain, and it has helped,” said Luke Matthews, Wildlife Programs Manager with the California Rice Commission. “It has saturated the soils and added a bit of water to creeks, streams and reservoirs. It’s definitely going to benefit migratory birds, but one storm doesn’t change a couple of years of drought. We’re not out of the woods yet, but definitely hope here.”

Matthews said a new program funded by the California Department of Water Resources will be a huge help. It provides for about 42,000 acres of rice fields to be shallow-flooded for birds, along with about 12,000 acres of private wetlands.

Sutter County rice grower Jeff Gallagher has participated in many conservation programs, including this effort to provide more water for wildlife. He said wildlife viewing is good and getting better by the day.

“It’s nice to be able to come to work every day and see thousands of geese and ducks, as well as tons of shorebirds,” Gallagher remarked. “It’s a good thing for everybody!”

Among those closely monitoring the Pacific Flyway migration is Jeff McCreary, Manager of the Western Region for Ducks Unlimited, a key conservation partner with the Rice Commission and other stakeholders.

McCreary said the Sacramento Valley is perhaps even more valuable for migrating wildlife this year, due to water shortages elsewhere on their journey.

“What we’re seeing with the dry conditions in the Klamath Basin and the Great Salt Lake is that birds are not staying in those locations, they’re moving on quickly and coming to the Sacramento Valley earlier than they normally would,” McCreary said. “We’re seeing lots of ducks and geese really early. This recent rain actually provided more habitat in the Sacramento Valley, because it’s shallowly-flooding up the dry rice fields unexpectedly. We thought there would be a lot more dry ground out there all the way into the middle of winter, when the rains have typically come. Now, we’re seeing rain on the landscape, which is right in the nick of time, because this is when the birds are starting to come. We’re cautiously optimistic about how things are going to progress this winter.”

He said those in the Sacramento area have a great opportunity to see the amazing sights from the millions of visiting birds, through local wildlife refuges. Ducks Unlimited just completed a major project at the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area in Butte County, making the auto tour loop safer and providing better access to viewing these stunning birds.

Episode Transcript

Jim Morris:

It's an amazing annual spectacle. The Pacific Flyway wildlife migration through the Sacramento Valley is one of