Rare hawks nest in California county after 30 years as abandoned farmland gets a new life

A California floodplain restoration project launched in 2023 has recorded its first confirmed nesting Swainson’s hawks in Shasta County in about 30 years. More than 32,000 native trees and plants were introduced across 150 acres of damaged land near the Sacramento River. Conservationists have also recorded rare indigo buntings breeding at the site, raising hopes for wildlife recovery.