Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – FriYay/Good News

~ John W. Howell
The Nature Conservancy. BirdReturns: Creating Dynamic Habitat for Migratory Birds. The Nature Conservancy California

Today’s good news comes from @Massimo on X. Thanks to Noelle Granger for sending it to me.

U.S. farmers are intentionally flooding their fields to revive ancient “prairie potholes,” creating temporary “pop-up” wetlands that deliver a huge boost to migratory birds while improving soil health.

In regions like California’s Central Valley and the Mississippi Delta, innovative programs—most notably BirdReturns (launched by The Nature Conservancy in 2014)—pay farmers to strategically flood low-lying or post-harvest fields at precise times during bird migrations. These short-term wetlands mimic the natural prairie potholes and seasonal marshes that once dotted the landscape but were largely drained for agriculture.

By timing floods to align with peak migration periods (e.g., spring and fall for shorebirds, waterfowl, and sandhill cranes), farmers provide essential stopover habitat: shallow water, mudflats, and abundant food for millions of birds traveling along flyways like the Pacific Flyway. The approach has transformed tens of thousands of acres of working farmland into critical refueling stations, with studies showing dramatic increases in bird use and numbers—sometimes 3.5 times higher in these managed pop-up wetlands compared to standard fields.

Farmers also gain practical benefits. Seasonal flooding enhances soil structure, boosts nutrient cycling (as bird activity and water help break down residues), recharges groundwater, reduces erosion, and supports long-term land productivity—often without hurting crop yields in subsequent seasons.

The good news in today’s story is an active program to help birds during their migrations while helping the soil as well.  Today’s JohnKu talks about assisting nature. I hope you have a lovely weekend.

A Hand by John W. Howell ©2026

Times present themselves,

To extend a helping hand. . .

Do not miss the chance.

61 thoughts on “Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – FriYay/Good News”

    1. I looked it up. Here’s a brief description of oxbow revcovery, “Oxbow recovery involves excavating accumulated sediment down to the historic riverbed level to restore natural depth, reconnecting the oxbow to the main channel, and planting native vegetation on the banks. This process creates crucial flood storage, purifies water by removing nitrates, and provides vital wildlife habitat.” It seems the big difference is that there is no excavating or planting with the field flooding, and it is a temporary condition.

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  11. John, nice to be reading your good news here again, and also nice to know some of us can still figure out how to make lemonade from lemons. This is such a no-brainer, and what a win-win for humans and wildlife alike…which in this day and age is one of the very best things to work for and towards.

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      1. John, I took time off WP to implement a couple of lifestyle/health modifications, and also get a handful of time-consuming home projects done which had been put off from last year. Also, just wanted to “recharge” those blogging batteries a little bit. Nice to be back!

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  18. I absolutely love this, John! It reminds me of the wildlife refuge in Monte Vista where they created wetlands as birds travel toward Canada every spring. When I lived there I thought the wetlands were natural, little did I know they have an extensive irrigation system for designed for crucial feeding, resting, and breeding habitat for over 200 bird species. So cool. Thanks for sharing another feel good story that positively impacts nature and the environment.

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  26. This is cool. I’m happy for the birds–and bird watchers! I’m surprised this article didn’t list one of the benefits to farmers being all that fertilizer from bird droppings. I experienced that first-hand when we moved the chickens, and so many, many tomato plants grew in their former coop area.

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