5 great ways to see the thousands of wintering birds at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge now

If you’ve been planning a winter visit to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Decatur, now is when the big annual bird show starts getting really good. Crane and waterfowl numbers increased dramatically this week after storms dropped heavy snow across the Midwest, sending thousands of birds south.

Our winter population of rare, endangered whooping cranes more than doubled, to 15. While that may seem like a small number, it’s huge in the whooping crane world, especially considering there were only 15 of them known to exist in the 1940s. All 834 whooping cranes alive today trace their lineage to that once-tiny group of survivors wintering at Texas’s Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

Whooping cranes are indeed extra-special guests, and when they’re present, you can’t miss them: The adults are brilliant white and the tallest birds in North America, reaching up to five feet.

At the same time, there are many more bold colors, sounds, behaviors — and sometimes, antics — to observe among the thousands of other wintering birds, too.

Read on to learn more and five easy ways to experience it all in person. Grab your binoculars, and c’mon!

Here for the food + warmer weather

Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Association Vice President Tom Ress says the timing of this early winter influx is the norm, with any time between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day usually the best bet for seeing the most birds at the refuge.

“[The migrating birds] want to escape the cold, and they have to get away from the snow, because the snow covers up the fields where they eat. They can’t get through the ice and snow to eat, so they come down here. Once we see bad weather, we see a rapid acceleration of birds arriving on the refuge. And that’s what happened last week.”
_{Tom Ress, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Association}

Gallery: A bit of what you’ll see + most recent totals

Since the most recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service waterfowl survey was conducted on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, it does not reflect the most recent influx of ducks, geese and sandhill cranes that arrived the first week of December after storms hit the Midwest.

For the most up-to-date survey when it drops, follow Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Complex on Facebook. In the meantime, here’s the count as of Nov. 25:

🦆Ducks: 12,324
🪿Geese: 2,030
🪶Sandhill Cranes: 4,292 (can increase to 25,000+)
😲Whooping Cranes: 6 (now 15+ and can increase to 22+)
🪽White Pelicans: 805
🦅 Bald Eagles: 7

Ress says we can expect to see numbers grow across the board over the coming weeks, with whooping cranes potentially reaching 22 or more in number and sandhill cranes 1,000 times that number.

The furthest traveled award goes to …

More recent seasonal species arrivals include greater white-fronted geese, which Ress lists among his favorites for their remarkably long winter journey.

“They’re very distinct birds, and are our farthest migratory species. They come from the Arctic Circle. I think that’s impressive that they make their way all the way down here.”
_{Tom Ress, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Association}

5 ways to experience our feathered guests

1. Self-guided visits

You can visit parts of the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge on your own, any time. However, the Wheeler NWR Visitor Center and Observation Building have specific hours, which are below.

While the gate to the road accessing this visitor center complex is closed on Sundays, Mondays and anytime after hours, you can enjoy seeing the birds on the newer, 4.6-mile trail, accessible from a parking lot to the left of the gate. Another option is to visit the trail, boardwalk and viewing area just across the highway, which is also always open.

• Where: Wheeler NWR Visitor Center Complex, 3121 Visitors Center Rd, Decatur, AL 35603
• When: Visitor Center Complex | Tuesday through Saturday, 9AM-5PM, now through February

2. Saturday Whooping Crane Walks

Learn everything you’ve been curious about whooping cranes from knowledgeable guides on free, one-hour Whooping Crane Walks on Saturdays.

No reservations are required. Just show up at the times below dressed for the weather, holding a pair of binoculars and your curiosity. The program is possible through a partnership between the International Crane Foundation (ICF) and Wheeler NWR.

• Where: Wheeler NWR Visitor Center Complex, 3121 Visitors Center Rd, Decatur, AL 35603
• When: 9AM on Dec. 6 + Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28 | 9AM + 1PM on Dec. 13, 20 + Jan. 3, 17, 24, 31

3. Waterfowl Wednesdays

You can enjoy a similar experience, this time focusing specifically on the waterfowl at Wheeler NWR during special, one-to-two-hour walks held on Waterfowl Wednesdays, presented by Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Association and Wheeler NWR.

Again, dress for the weather and bring binoculars.

• Where: Wheeler NWR Visitor Center Complex, 3121 Visitors Center Rd, Decatur, AL 35603
• When: 8AM, Dec. 10, 17 + Jan. 7, 14, 21

4. Festival of the Cranes in January

Now in its 15th year, the annual Festival of the Cranes is set for Jan. 9-11, 2026.

Activities and programming include:

• Story time with ICF mascot, whooper aptly named “Hope”
• A concert by The Cleverlys at The Princess Theatre
• Free admission on Saturday to the Cook Museum of Natural Science
• + many special presentations, workshops and other activities focused on nature and arts

Visit the Festival of Cranes website for a full schedule + other details.

5. Exploring online resources, maps + more

Even if you can’t make it over to the refuge as often as you’d like to witness all the developments during such a dynamic time, thankfully, there are so many cool online resources to keep up with what’s happening there.

Here are a few great ones for reference, beautiful photos + further discovery:

🗺️ Where are the Whoopers? map from the International Crane Foundation
Track the movements of the Whooping Crane Eastern Migratory Population (EMP) to which our visitors belong + read bios about individual birds.
(If you’d like a giggle, look up the whooping cranes identified as 28-24 + 29-24, who seem to have quite the personalities. It appears that they both have officially arrived at Wheeler NWR for the season.)

🧐 International Crane Foundation Whooping Crane Updates
Here, you’ll find regular updates about the Eastern Migratory Population + more interesting info about species reintroduction + conservation efforts for whooping cranes and sandhill cranes.

📷 Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Photography
This public Facebook group is a wonderful one to join + see daily images of the refuge, its inhabitants + seasonal guests by professional + amateur photographers.

🤝 Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Association
This is a great resource of information about events at the refuge from this all-volunteer group that promotes the “conservation, awareness and appreciation” of Wheeler NWR. Find them also on Facebook.

🔎 USFWS Wheeler NWR Resource Library
Here’s where you can find both essential + more in-depth info about Wheeler NWR including maps, regulations, recent waterfowl surveys + more.

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