Sandhill cranes stop in southern Alaska before the fall migration begins

August 14 – Sightings of sandhill cranes have increased in southern Alaska this month as the fall migration season approaches. Mated pairs have been seen in some residential areas of Anchorage and along coastal tidelands.

Alaska has a special connection to the large birds. According to Mark D. Ross, a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the country provides breeding grounds for two populations in North America.

“Alaska is the birthplace of nearly half of all North American cranes, the sandhill cranes,” Ross said.

Although cranes are among the most threatened bird families, sandhill crane populations are thriving. The central population, about half of which migrates to interior, western and northern Alaska, numbers more than 1.25 million birds in a 2023 count, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Pacific Coast population, which summers in the Cook Inlet, Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay regions, numbers nearly 42,000 birds, according to a report by the Pacific Flyway Council.

Sandhill cranes are a fun wildlife viewing experience up close. The omnivores can be seen hunting insects and rodents. Pairs sometimes display lively courtship behavior, flapping their wings, hopping, and bowing to their mates. In the fall, larger groups gather to migrate to warmer climes. Pacific coast cranes migrate to California's Central Valley, while midcontinent birds spend the winter in Texas and Mexico.

“The population in the center of the continent represents the longest migration of all 15 crane species, from north-central Mexico to 1,000 miles deep into Arctic Siberia,” Ross said.

In Fairbanks, the Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge has proven to be a reliable stopover for migrating crane families at the end of summer. “The numbers are increasing now and by Sept. 1 we will have over 2,000,” Ross said Wednesday.

To celebrate the season, the 27th annual Tanana Valley Sandhill Crane Festival will be held August 23-25 ​​at Creamer's Field. The event features a variety of speakers, artists and crane-watching activities.