ADF&G - Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge

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ADF&G - Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge

This page shares updates from Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, managed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Follow along as we promote and enhance wildlife habitat — especially for migratory birds — and see how people use the refuge.

09/18/2026

Many hands make light work… allegedly. Watch 11 humans attempt to tame a 1‑ton, 13,000‑square‑foot pond liner at Creamer’s Refuge. We’re pretty sure the waterfowl would’ve judged our technique, but by next spring they’ll be loving this prime duck real estate. After this battle, we’re basically qualified for the halftime pit crew.

09/17/2026

Heads up if you're visiting the refuge — our wheelchair‑accessible boardwalk is temporarily closed due to flooding along the trail. With more rain in the forecast, please stay off this trail for now. Thanks for helping keep everyone safe, dry and protecting the area.

09/16/2026

We may not be loving all this Interior Alaska rain, but the waterfowl at Creamer’s Refuge certainly are. Every dip and puddle has turned into prime duck habitat, making it a perfect time for a walk to see who’s enjoying the wet weather.

These birds, photographed on Monday, are great examples of eclipse plumage. In the top photo, two drake mallards are at different stages of molt. They’re still mostly brown, but the bird on the right is beginning to emerge from eclipse plumage—regaining his bright yellow bill and showing the first hints of green on his mottled head as he transitions back to full breeding colors.

In the bottom photo, the drake wigeon is also coming out of eclipse plumage. His belly has already turned white, but his head is still fully speckled, with just a smudge of dark green around the eye. Give him a few weeks and he’ll molt in a crisp white forehead and bold green eye patch.

09/09/2026

Early numbers from our fall duck captures are in! We banded 775 ducks across six species this season: 300 mallards, 275 northern pintail, 185 green‑winged teal, 13 northern shovelers, plus single captures of bufflehead and American wigeon.

And did you notice that all the ducks we caught look a bit brown?
They’re not all females—Alaska’s ducks are in eclipse plumage, their fall molt that gives them a camouflaged look as they replace feathers for migration. To tell these drab ducks apart without their bright breeding colors, we rely on bill color, feet color, body shape, and the speculum (the iridescent patch on the wing). Can you tell them apart? Expand the pictures to see species ID.

A huge thank‑you to everyone who volunteered to help out!

Photos courtesy of Nate Lashomb and Jen Curl.

09/05/2026

Only 300–400 sandhill cranes remain on the refuge. So where do they go next?

From the Tanana Valley, these long‑distance travelers fly past Delta Junction and through the Tintina Trench mountain corridor on their way to Last Mountain Lake in Saskatchewan. After staging there for several weeks, they continue south to Texas, wintering between Amarillo and San Angelo. By the second or third week of March, they head north again, stopping at the Platte River in Nebraska for spring staging. By late April, they’re back home in the Tanana Valley.

Their round‑trip journey? An incredible 6,500 miles.

This migration track is based off several cranes that were fitted with satellite collars at Creamer’s Refuge in the early 2000s. The population maps are based on Jones et al, 2005. Thanks to John Wright for helping us gather the information for this map.

09/01/2026

Today marks the final day of duck banding at our pond traps for the fall season! We band every duck we capture, but our main focus is on mallards. Mallards live across nearly all of North America (they have their own 🦆 emoji for a reason!), making them an excellent indicator species for understanding how duck populations are doing. Here at the refuge—along with scientists across the country—we place numbered leg bands on mallards. When those bands are later found and reported to reportband.gov, we can learn about migration routes, lifespans, and changes in population size over time.

Stay tuned for a final tally of our captures!

Photo credit Jen Curl.

08/28/2026

🔊Turn the volume up to hear the sound of 1,227 sandhill cranes and 736 geese on the refuge today.

08/26/2026

Think you’ve seen an uptick in birds at Creamer’s Refuge this week? You’re not wrong! This morning’s count tallied 685 sandhill cranes and 918 Canada geese, plus a sprinkling of other waterfowl species. Fall migration is in full swing—and we expect even more birds over the next week. Stop by the refuge and catch the spectacle while it lasts.

Photos by Hook Pederson.

08/22/2026

See you tomorrow and Sunday at 9 a.m. for our duck‑banding demo at the 2026 Tanana Valley Sandhill Crane Festival! We’re capturing wild ducks from our ponds throughout the month and banding them with unique ID tags to learn where they travel and how long they live. Join us for a front‑row look at the banding process and observe these birds up close as we work.

Photos by Grace Nelson.

08/19/2026

This is what farming at Creamer’s Refuge looks like in action! The top photo shows mature barley with full seed heads—perfect for cranes and other waterfowl to forage on, and excellent cover to hide from predators. These barley crops were planted back in early June. The bottom photo shows newly sprouted barley planted in early August, providing fresh, nutrient‑rich forage for birds like these white‑fronted geese.

Thanks in part to these refuge farming and management efforts, we counted 491 cranes, 364 geese, and 114 ducks on the front fields and ponds today.

Top photo by Hook Pederson, bottom photo by Heather McFarland.

Address

1300 College Road
Fairbanks, AK
99701

Website

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=creamersfield.main

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