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Alabama refuge is a paradise for birders and thousands of migrating sandhill cranes
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Rob Broeren takes pictures of sandhill cranes at the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Decatur, Ala. - photo by AP Photo/George Walker IV
DECATUR, Ala. (AP) — In flooded agricultural fields near the Tennessee River, tens of thousands of sandhill cranes stand tall among broken corn stalks and shallow water searching for corn, berries, seeds and insects. The sound and sight of so many cranes clustered together creates a chorus of trills, trumpets and honks throughout the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Center in northern Alabama during the winter. The annual migration of sandhill cranes brings bird-watchers in droves to see the tall birds up close, but also the chance to catch a glimpse of the rare and endangered whooping cranes that migrate in much smaller numbers to Wheeler.