Dear KAREN,
Shorebirds whiz overhead in the predawn darkness as I crouch on the edge of a muddy rice field in near-freezing temperatures. I pray that one of them would find its way into my net.
In the astronomical twilight, I see a tennis-ball-sized object hit the net—it's a Dunlin! Working quickly, I have 3 minutes to slog to the net, carefully extract this delicate bird, and collect a blood sample.
These brave shorebirds are our avian research partners. They are helping us collect data on how California's "extreme drought" is affecting millions of birds that migrate through and winter in the Central Valley.
Prior to agricultural development, the Central Valley was a vast seasonal wetland and a vital stop along the Pacific Flyway. Sadly, ninety percent of those wetlands are gone. Today, flooded rice fields are an important surrogate wet habitat for birds.
This winter, we added 40,000 acres of flooded rice and 10,000 acres of flooded wetlands to the Central Valley with emergency drought funding provided by the California Department of Water Resources.
We are grateful to collaborate with the California Rice Commission, The Nature Conservancy, Point Blue Conservation Science, California Waterfowl Association, Ducks Unlimited, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, farmers, and private landowners to protect this vital bird habitat.
One thing my pre-dawn mornings in the muck taught me: every sunrise is unique. We hope our research will illuminate how we can respond to this unprecedented drought and help our shorebirds thrive.
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