Creamers Field welcomes migratory birds back to Fairbanks [Video]

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU) – Migratory birds have returned to Fairbanks for the spring and summer, as Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge prepares the red carpet for their new arrivals.

So far, North American pintail, trumpeter swans, and Canada geese have been seen, as well as mallard and white-fronted geese.

According to Mark Ross, biologist and educator at Creamer’s Field, up to a hundred additional species are expected to make it in the next month.

“In fact, this morning I heard at 10 a.m., the first migratory songbird, which was surprising, a ruby-crowned kinglet,” he added.

To prepare the field for the incoming birds, each year the field is plowed by personnel from Fairbanks International Airport and barley is spread around the area, both of which happened earlier this month.

Ross said the last 50 years of record-keeping at the refuge have shown a trend toward waterfowl arriving earlier in the …