Staff File Photo by Meghan Brown/Chattanooga Times Free Press
Sandhill cranes walk through a cornfield near the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge on Saturday during the 15th annual Cherokee Indian Heritage and Sandhill Crane Viewing Days.Cranes will take the center stage, but there will be plenty else going on at the Sandhill Crane Viewing Festival at Birchwood School and Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge later this month.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation and the Tennessee Ornithological Society are partnering on the January events, which will feature music, a bird show, an American Indian heritage program and, of course, the cranes.
IF YOU GOWhat: Sandhill Crane Viewing FestivalWhen: Jan. 15-16Where: Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge and Birchwood School, Priddy Road in BirchwoodCost: FreeMore information: 1-800-262-6704
As many as 3,000 sandhill cranes will be at the refuge that weekend on a stop during their migration, according to David Stone, president of the Tennessee Ornithological Society's Chattanooga Chapter.
"They'll be flying over your head," said Stone. "We like to have visitors come and appreciate that we've got that kind of wildlife."
The Hiwassee Refuge is the winter home for more than 10,000 sandhill cranes and several rare whooping cranes, as well as bald eagles and a variety of waterfowl.
This year's festival celebrates the TWRA's 60th anniversary managing of the Hiwassee Refuge and the 20th anniversary of the Crane Festival itself, according to a release from the Ornithological Society.
On Jan. 15, Birchwood School will open at 8 a.m. with children's activities and breakfast before a ceremony at 10 a.m. Lunch will be available in cafeteria after 11 a.m., and free parking will be available at the school with shuttle buses to the Refuge and Cherokee Memorial.
A Native American Heritage presenter, Sky Wolf, of the Over Hill Cherokee Nation of the Cherokee Descendants, will present a program at noon, followed by a raptor show at 1 p.m. Crane viewing will continue Sunday.