BIRCHWOOD, Tenn. — For more than three and a half decades, the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival has drawn thousands of visitors eager to witness one of nature’s most remarkable migrations.

Many sandhill cranes migrate to Florida from their summer homes in the northern United States. They may simply make a temporary rest stop at the Hiwassee Refuge or they may opt to spend the enitre winter here before migrating back north. (Photo: Richard Simms)

Each year, sandhill cranes travel from the cold Midwest to warmer Florida, passing right over the Tennessee Valley. The Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge has become the perfect resting spot for these towering birds along the way.

“Seeing people witness those birds in mass for the first time is pretty neat,” says Mime Barnes of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. “We have volunteers with spotting scopes set up, so they can see the birds really up close and personal too.

Hiwassee Refuge once held as many as 30,000 sandhill cranes during the winter. However, as migration patterns have shifted over the years, there are typically 5,000 to 10,000 sandhills that over-winter in the area. (Photo: Richard Simms)

The festival celebrates a dramatic comeback. Federal and state conservation guidelines, including efforts by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, helped the once-dwindling species rebound. Now, guests from across the region come to marvel at the cranes’ size and beauty.

“It’s a great excuse to get outside at a different time of year,” Barnes says. “When it’s a little bit cold, it’s just a great adventure to come out and see a four-foot-tall bird in mass.”

Sandhill cranes are known not just for their impressive size, but also for their haunting, trilling calls. Richard Simms says residents across Southeast Tennessee have likely heard the birds without even realizing it.

“They have a haunting, trilling call as they’re flying,” Simms says. “Whether you’re in the suburbs of Chattanooga or out in the boondocks, there’s a very good chance you’ve stepped outside sometime and heard this haunting call as they fly and migrate overhead.

Once a non-existent or extremely rare sight, the wintering population of sandhill cranes has grown to the point that there is a limited hunting season for them all across Tennessee. However the hunting season is never allowed on Hiwassee Refuge and it is completely suspended the weekend of the crane festival. (Photo: Richard Simms)

The festival also partners with the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park, offering visitors a chance to learn about the Trail of Tears and the Native peoples who once lived in the area.

“People can learn about the Trail of Tears and the native peoples that lived in that area and how they used birds as part of their daily lives,” Barnes says.

These cranes carry layers of history as they soar across our skies, drawing nature lovers and history buffs alike to Birchwood each winter.

Learn more about this weekend's festival here.