If you go
› What: Sandhill Crane Cruises› Where: Depart from Sale Creek Marina, 3900 Lee Pike, Soddy-Daisy› When: 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. Dec. 29-31, Jan. 5-7 and Jan. 12-15› Admission: $35 Aquarium members, $45 nonmembers› For more information: www.tnaqua.org
The River Gorge Explorer will end operations after the last Sandhill Crane Cruise on Jan. 15.With their 5-foot wingspan, brilliant red crowns and sheer numbers, the winter migration of sandhill cranes to southern roosts is a wondrous sight.
But for birding enthusiasts, the arrival of these majestic waterfowl to the Tennessee Valley at Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge is as much an aural spectacle as a visual one.
"When a thousand or a couple thousand sandhill cranes are taking off, you get the proverbial locomotive 'whoosh' sort of roar," says John Dever, a naturalist aboard the Tennessee Aquarium's high-speed catamaran, the River Gorge Explorer.
"With the length of the cranes' tracheae, it's like a vacuum hose, so you can hear their call for miles," he adds. "They're very cacophonous."
Passengers aboard the River Gorge Explorer will get a one-of-a-kind perspective of these magnificent birds during special sandhill crane cruise eco-tours, which begin Friday, Dec. 29, continuing for three weekends.
This year's cruises mark the last chance for guests to ride the River Gorge Explorer. The vessel will end operations after a nine-year run with the last cruise on Jan. 15.
Each cruise includes a circumnavigation of Hiwassee Island, offering passengers spectacular views of cranes and other birds that find refuge there, from spike-crested kingfishers and enormous white pelicans to rafts of ducks, bald eagles and golden eagles.
The cruises coincide with the annual Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival, which will take place Jan. 13-14 at the refuge and nearby Birchwood Community Center in Birchwood, Tenn.
The festival, which is hosted by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency features music, food and animal demonstrations. But the real appeal to many of the 2,000 to 3,000 guests who arrive from all over the country is the wildlife spectacle, which is in full view from the covered observation platform.
Based on early arrivals at the start of December, this year's migration should more than satisfy the birding crowd, says TWRA Wildlife Information Specialist Mime Barnes.
"We're seeing good numbers. The technician at the refuge said they had 5,000-6,000 birds last week," Barnes says. "As someone who just enjoys wildlife and bird-watching, that area has so much to offer."
Cruise tickets must be purchased in advance. For more information and to register: www.tnaqua.org/sandhill-crane-cruises.