More than 14,000 sandhill cranes, along with several pairs of whooping cranes, spend the winter each year at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Decatur. In celebration of the winter migration of these long-legged and long-necked birds, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Association hosts an event offering a variety of activities for experienced birders and anyone who would like to learn more about birding and other wildlife that call the Refuge home.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, modifications to the 2021 Festival of the Cranes have been implemented as additional safety measures for attendees. The event is set for Jan. 9 with presentations held at the Princess Theatre, 112 Second Ave., Decatur. Admission to each of the presentations is free, but seating is limited (due to social distancing guidelines) with first come, first served admission.

Schedule of events

9 a.m. — Video presentation by Master Falconer Lauren McGough

McGough has been a licensed and practicing falconer since age 14 and has been particularly enamored with gold eagles as hunting partners, a unique branch of falconry that has only a handful of practitioners in the United States. She learned to hunt with eagles through years of living with the nomadic people of Mongolia, as featured in a 2018 segment of “60 Minutes.”

 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. — Auburn University Southeastern Raptor Center live performance

The Southeastern Raptor Center presents their educational program to teach about birds of prey. Attendees can see hawks, eagles, falcons and owls up close while learning about habitats, conservation and ecology.

2:30 p.m. — Snowy Owl: A Visual Natural History video presentation by Paul Bannick

The video presentation provides rare intimate looks into the life history of one of the world’s most charismatic birds. In the presentation, the physical features, preferred habitats, breeding cycle, hunting strategies, as well as prey and conservation issues, are explored through several dozen never-before-published images.

4 p.m. — Gareth Laffely live performance

Laffely is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer and producer from Gallatin, Tennessee, whose music has been licensed by the Discovery Channel, NASCAR and Public Television. An award-winning Native American flute player and composer, Laffely is of Mi’kmaq/Cree descent. 

5:30 p.m. — Ben Raines “Saving America’s Amazon: The Threat to Our Nation’s Most Biodiverse River System” live presentation

Raines has won more than two dozen awards for his coverage of environmental issues and natural wonders in Alabama and on the Gulf Coast and coauthored several peer-reviewed papers published in scientific journals. He wrote and produced “America’s Amazon,” which aired on PBS stations around the country.

In addition to presentations at the Princess Theatre, a variety of activities are planned in the community before, during and after the Festival of the Cranes: 

• Jan. 8-Feb. 19: Festival of the Cranes Art Exhibition at the Alabama Center for the Arts 

•  Jan. 9: Bird and nature art journaling workshop led by Timothy Joe at the Carnegie Visual Arts Center

•  Jan.  7-9: Lunch and Learn Lecture Series, movies and crafts at the Cook Museum of Natural Science

For more information on the Festival of the Cranes, visit https://www.friendsofwheelerrefuge.com/festival-of-the-cranes-2021 or follow www.facebook.com/FOCatWheeler for the latest updates.