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Hiwassee
The over-wintering spot for the endangered Sandhill Crane is the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge, near the community of Birchwood, TN in northern Hamilton County. The sight of thousands of these large, graceful birds is never to be forgotten. Country and bluegrass bands are scheduled, and Indian artifacts are on display. The main event is the wonderful show nature makes when--according to a timing all their own--thousands of Sandhill cranes make their annual return to the refuge.
This is an annual event, held for the last 13 years, at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency's Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge. The viewing of thousands of annually-migrating Sandhill cranes and other waterfowl, a variety of raptors, including golden eagles and bald eagles, and a variety of other local bird species is scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge.
Each year, visitors to the area events have enjoyed a lecture series on Saturday of the event at the Birchwood School, celebrating the local area and featuring wildlife and Cherokee Indian Heritage experts. Lectures in past years have focused on how to landscape your home to increase and assist wildlife and the ten thousand year prehistory of the native peoples of the area. A noted historian, Dr. Mike Abram, of the Cherokee Museum, has spoken on the Cherokee exiles on the Trail of Tears, as well as the history of those that stayed behind. Festival musicians have included the Cherokee gospel singing group, the Welch Family Singers, from the Snowbird community near Robbinsville, North Carolina.
The Birchwood Parent/Teacher Association raises funds by providing a variety of foods for sale at the school and provides a free shuttle service from the school to the viewing area at the nearby Hiwassee Refuge. On Sunday, wildlife experts will be on hand at the viewing area with telescopes to help the public identify and learn about the many bird species found at the refuge.
The festival is an opportunity to see wild Whooping Cranes in Tennessee. 'Birders' may get a chance to see one of the endangered eastern Whooping Cranes that were taught to migrate by an ornithologist in an ultra-light plane, and then reintroduced into the wild. The new flock successfully traveled unassisted from Wisconsin as part of the Eastern Whooping Crane Partnership project. Several of the previously-reintroduced Whooping Cranes have been seen using the Hiwassee Refuge in Meigs County.
Suitable for large groups.
Admission is free.
For more information, please contact:
423-334-5850 ext.1
sgoldblatt@sedev.org (for a brochure about)
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