BirdReturns Sandhill Crane Program

BirdReturns has been working with farmers and landowners for 10 years to provide habitat for migratory shorebirds, cranes, waterfowl, and other waterbirds. This year, The Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership (MBCP), with funding and support from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, will be using the BirdReturns Program to provide needed wintering habitat in the Sacramento Valley and Delta for the Greater Sandhill Crane, a California threatened subspecies. . Habitat provided through this program will also benefit a wide diversity of other waterbird species including waterfowl, shorebirds, and other wading birds.

The objective of the Sandhill Crane Program is to incentivize farmers to create new crane habitat to increase the resilience of the Central Valley’s population. Our goal is to complement existing habitat by providing additional foraging and roosting habitat. Individual growers may provide either foraging sites or roosting sites, or both in combination. (further details below) 

Roosting sites provide sanctuary habitat for cranes and other waterbirds to congregate and spend the night safe from predators. Fields must be unhunted and flooded from 3-9 inches in depth for at least 8 weeks between October 1, 2024 and March 15, 2025.

Foraging sites provide locations for cranes to feed near their night roosts. These sites must be harvested grain fields that are left untilled and initially unflooded to maximize the amount of food for the birds.   

On some fields, social attraction techniques that involve the use of decoys and broadcasting of crane vocalizations will be used to attract cranes. At these sites, access for setup and monitoring will be necessary. Participation in the social attraction aspect of the study is optional. 

• Application

To apply for the Sandhill Crane Winter Program, farmers must submit an application consisting of the acreage of foraging and/or roosting habitat they wish to provide. Farmers accepted in the program will all be paid the same fixed rates per acre for these different habitat types.