It's all about Sandhill Cranes this weekend at Creamer's Field

With a wingspan of 6-8 feet and one of the longest fossil records of any extant bird -- the oldest unequivocal Sandhill Crane fossil is 2.5 million years old, the Sandhill Crane is a bird that is impressive enough to have its very own festival in Fairbanks every year. I spent this past sunny, Sunday afternoon enjoying some activities at the 13th annual Tanana Valley Sandhill Crane Festival.

This event takes place at Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, located on the site of the historic Creamer's Dairy which used to provide Fairbanksens with various dairy products.

The dairy was begun in 1904 by Charles and Bell Hinckley. They moved it to its present location in 1915 and sold it to Charles and Anna Creamer in 1924, which is how it got the name Creamer's Dairy.

These are the once top-of-the-line barns built in 1938 to streamline dairy production. The dairy thrived during the 1940s and for a while World War II seemed like it was good for business since Creamer's Dairy got a contract with Ladd Air Force Base. However, construction of the Alaska Highway was completed in 1942 and after WWII there were changes in land and air shipping that allowed for more outside competition, which affected the local dairy market, forcing the dairy to close by 1966.

 In the early 1970s, due to popular local demand for site preservation, the state acquired the 1,800 acre plot for use as a waterfowl sanctuary which it has been ever since. The site is currently operated by the Alaska State Fish and Game with the site buildings being used as a visitor center and storage sites. One weekend each year in August Creamer's Field brings people in the Fairbanks community together to celebrate the migratory Sandhill Crane with various lectures, crafts, and guided nature walks. This past Sunday I decided to channel my inner 4 year old and participated in an art project making a plaster mould of a crane's footprint.

The first step was going out into a field to find a suitable crane track.

 

 Next, I encircled my track of choice with a cardboard strip. I then mixed plaster and poured it into my mould.

 

 I had to let it set for at least an hour, so I decided to listen in on a lecture about training predatory birds.

 One of the guest speakers brought his pet falcon for a demonstration.

 

 I still needed to kill more time, so I explored one of the several walking trails.

I respected the birds and stuck to the trails.

 I noticed de-barked Birch trees along the path.

 The view from the observation tower on the Boreal Forest Trail.

 

 Back at the site for the main festival events, I collected my plaster mold from the field and headed home, taking pictures along the way.