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BirdReturns 2025: A Remarkable Year Delivering Crucial Habitat for Birds

A decade in, BirdReturns is scaling habitat across California’s working lands to meet a critical moment for hundreds of thousands of birds.

Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese. Photo: Marti Phillips/Audubon Photography Awards.

By Ashley Seufzer

Working Lands Program Manager, Audubon California

Published December 10, 2025

This article is from Audubon California . Find Audubon near you here.

This year marked an incredible milestone – the 10th anniversary of BirdReturns. What began as a small pilot project to deliver habitat when birds need it most has expanded across California’s Central Valley, becoming one of the region’s most innovative and impactful working lands conservation programs. A decade in, BirdReturns continues to evolve, adapt, and scale thanks to the dedication of land managers, biologists, and partners across the state.

In 2025, that collective effort resulted in habitat at a scale that reflects both the urgency of the moment and the strength of our partnerships. With more than 210 participating land managers and over 48,000 acres of wetlands and farmlands enrolled across California, BirdReturns supported hundreds of thousands of birds throughout the annual cycle.

BirdReturns is grounded in a simple idea: partner with private land managers to create flexible, science-driven habitat timed to meet seasonal wildlife needs. Together with The Nature Conservancy and Point Blue Conservation Science, and with field teams working across the Central Valley and Suisun Marsh, we delivered habitat that birds responded to immediately, bringing these crucial landscapes along the Pacific Flyway to life.

2025 Highlights at a Glance

147K+

Birds Counted (across 1100+ surveys).

1100+

Bird Surveys: Capturing migratory peaks, breeding activity, and year-round habitat use.

48K+

Acres of Habitat Created: From spring wetlands to summer ponds to fall farmland flooding, BirdReturns supported birds across every major season of need.

210+

Participating Land Managers: Reflecting trust, collaboration, and a shared commitment to conservation.

What the Numbers Tell Us

Birds respond immediately to well-timed habitat.

Across program offerings, Dunlin, Northern Pintail, Least Sandpipers, Greater White-fronted Geese, and marsh-nesting species such as Red-winged Blackbirds and Song Sparrows were among the most frequently observed birds.

Farmlands remain a powerful tool for conservation.

Nearly 400 surveys in Yolo–Delta and the Sacramento Valley recorded more than 33,000 birds in fall-flooded farmlands — dominated by small migratory shorebirds like Least Sandpipers.

Crane habitat supports far more than cranes.

Although the Sandhill Crane program continues through December, early counts already show thousands of cranes alongside even larger numbers of waterfowl and shorebirds using the same fields.

Summer wetlands support abundance and diversity.

BirdReturns’ summer wetlands delivered significant benefits for locally breeding ducks, with hundreds of breeding pairs observed across sites - including Gadwall, Cinnamon Teal, and Mallards. Across summer surveys, field teams documented 133 species.

Expanding Science

Social Science
This year marked the launch of the first BirdReturns social science study, designed to better understand farmers’ and wetland managers’ values, motivations, and relationships to conservation programs. These insights will help refine how we engage with land managers and inform the development of future incentive programs.

Invertebrate Study
Now in its second year, our invertebrate research examines how BirdReturns management practices influence food availability for shorebirds across seasons. The team studied 44 BirdReturns ponds in the Sacramento Valley, evaluating invertebrate production in both wetland and farmland settings. This work represents a major advancement in understanding Central Valley food webs and will guide future habitat design and timing decisions.

Voice on-the-ground

“Any time you can find some money that can help you stretch your dollars to do more for habitat and wildlife, that’s kind of a no-brainer. Without wildlife and without wild things, so too will we go.”

– Peter Ottesen, BirdReturns Participant

Thank you to every land manager, partner organization, field biologist, and supporter who helped make 2025 a year of meaningful habitat wins. Additional thanks to California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for their funding and support.

Get involved and learn more at birdreturns.org.