Even though the cold and snow continue to stake their winter claim, preparations for the 2026 Stikine River Birding Festival in April are taking wing in anticipation of spring.

Wrangell sees a number of spring migrations. According to Claire Froelich, an interpretive and education conservation specialist with the U. S. Forest Service, Wrangell receives one of the largest springtime concentration of bald eagles in North America.

Sandhill cranes, with their distinctive call, make one of the longest bird migrations in late April, from wintering in Mexico and Texas to nesting sites in Southeast and Central Alaska.

“It’s a birder’s paradise,” Froelich said. “It’s such a celebration of wildlife, which is one of the primary reasons tourists come to Wrangell.” She notes that residents sometimes take for granted “the wonders that are here in abundance, we can become desensitized to what seems just a normal thing.”

The festival is committed to engaging the community in celebrating the diversity of the heralds of spring. In addition to eagles and sandhill cranes, there is the possibility of spotting sparrows and hummingbirds, American dippers and herons, sandpipers and surf scooters.

A wide range of activities and educational events are planned across April, while the weeklong festival will run April 22-26. There will be the traditional “Name That Tweet” in partnership with KSTK, which will broadcast bird songs to see who recognizes the tunes, and student artwork from Evergreen Elementary School will be on display at the Nolan Center.

There are plans for Bird Bingo walks in conjunction with the Parks and Recreation Department, a Bird Fest Storytime at the Irene Ingle Public Library, and building birdhouse feeders, sponsored by Angerman’s.

“We really appreciate the partnerships with the community,” said JR Meek, the borough’s marketing and community development coordinator. “We’ve had more time this year for planning, and it’s been great having more people involved.”

Last year’s festival was abbreviated by the hit of U.S. government cuts to the U. S. Forest Service. “We’re really proud of how much we’ll be able to offer this year,” Meek said.

The keynote speaker will be Michael Wierda, from Utah State University. He will share his more than 40 years of experience in environmental toxicology and the impacts on bald eagles. His presentation will be Friday, April 24, at the Nolan Center. His presentation is free; doors will open at 5:30 p.m.

A new event in the works is a skeet range contest, in conjunction with the Wrangell Gun Club, police department and Parks and Rec. The clay discs are called “birds,” and a variety of bird-themed skeets will be used for the competition.

The capstone event will be a free movie at the Nolan Center on Sunday, April 26, at 1 p.m. “Migration” is an animated feature about the adventures of family of ducks flying from New England to Jamaica.

This year marks the end of a five-year grant of federal dollars that has supported the festival. “We’ll continue to work with the borough and other grant possibilities to ensure that some form of the festival will continue,” said Meeks.

He plans to collaborate with the Cordova Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the largest bird festival in the state, to explore cross-marketing as a way to kick off the tourism season early.

A full schedule of this year’s festival events will be released by early March. For updated information, go to travelwrangell.com.