“If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.” -Ryan Gosling, and also Bryce Lundberg 🪿 But seriously. Today’s National Bird Day. And while we’re not growing rice during the winter, it’s one of our favorite seasons on the farm. Our farm is part of the Pacific Flyway, a major migratory pathway for birds. But the wetlands those birds depend on have been disappearing for decades. Today, 95% of California’s wetlands are gone. So, each winter, we flood a portion of our fields to replicate California’s natural wetlands, providing food and habitat for thousands of wintering waterfowl who feast on leftover rice, insects, aquatic invertebrates, and weed seeds. Their feet also press nutrient-rich rice straw into the soil, which decomposes the rice straw and turns it into mulch for next year’s crop. Pretty flocking cool, huh? #nationalbirdday