Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center is organizing a trip to the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge to view the thousands of sandhill cranes that gather there annually during their migration south. (Contributed photo)To take advantage of one of the area’s most striking natural displays – the gathering of 15,000 to 20,000 sandhill cranes at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge during the birds’ annual migration south – Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center is organizing a trip to the refuge Saturday, Jan. 20.
The deadline for nonmembers to purchase tickets is Wednesday, Jan. 17.
This is Reflection Riding’s first time doing an event involving the sandhill crane migration, said President Mark McKnight.
He has attended the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s annual Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival at the Hiwassee, and said the festival often gets a lot of coverage – after the fact. McKnight said he has often heard people say they wish there were more tours offering opportunities to see the birds during the month they spend in the area.
The Tennessee Aquarium’s River Gorge Explorer offers tours from the local area, but those have often sold out in the past, McKnight said, and late last year the aquarium announced that the boat will be sold after this year’s crane tours, so they won’t be available next year.