Chattanooga Times Free Press - ChattanoogaNow
Birds, bluegrass, conservation and cruises on tap at Sandhill Crane Festival in Birchwood. SATURDAY-SUNDAY
A drive along Highway 60 between Dayton and Cleveland, Tenn., will produce sightings of sandhill cranes, but this weekend’s Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival offers an opportunity to truly appreciate the massive migration of these big birds.
The entire region will be abuzz with birds and birdwatchers alike. Along with the star of the weekend, many types of waterfowl, bald eagles, golden eagles, white pelicans and even whooping cranes are spotted each year.
Music and programs will take place at Birchwood Community Center both Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 14-15, and free buses will run the short distance to the Hiwassee Refuge and Cherokee Removal Memorial Park. Both the memorial and refuge provide birding opportunities and a list of bird species that may be spotted. Tennessee Ornithological Society and TWRA staff will offer expertise and scopes at each location for prime viewing.
Since the early 1990s, the recovering population of eastern sandhill cranes has been stopping at the Hiwassee Refuge on their way to and from their wintering grounds in Georgia and Florida. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has been managing this refuge for more than 60 years for waterfowl, and the cranes have found a perfect combination of areas for feeding and roosting. As many as 12,000 cranes have been known to overwinter at the confluence of the Tennessee and Hiwassee rivers.
The 2017 festival also coincides with the 14th North American Crane Workshop annual meeting, which takes place in Chattanooga before the festival. Crane researchers and conservationists from around North America are in attendance and will be making the trip to Hiwassee on Saturday.
Activities at the Birchwood Community Center ( the former Birchwood Elementary School) include music by local performers and Nashville recording artists, live raptor shows, craft vendors and a program on whoop- ing crane conservation efforts by an expert from the International Crane Federation. A children’s arts and craft booth will operate both days.
American Indian artifacts and interpreters will be at the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park both days, along with folklorists and crafters.
Parking is available at Birchwood Community Center only. Shuttles will be provided to the Hiwassee Refuge and Cherokee Removal Memorial Park both days starting at 8 a.m.
The Tennessee Aquarium is providing guided cruises in the area Friday through Monday, Jan. 13-16. Passengers on these two-hour tours aboard the River Gorge Explorer will hear not only about the various migratory and resident birds but also about the Cherokee heritage in the region and historical Mississippian cultural sites that date to A.D. 1000.