Alabama
Alabama refuge is a paradise for birders and thousands of migrating sandhill cranes
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. Alongside the cranes, plenty of other birds can be spotted at Wheeler, including geese, ducks, bald eagles, kestrels and hawks.
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“It’s a birder’s paradise,” park ranger David Young noted.
The cranes, with their distinctive red foreheads and gray feathers, fly to Alabama from the Great Lakes annually. The sandhill cranes started staying overwinter at Wheeler starting in the mid-1990s and the numbers increased dramatically in the mid-2000s, Young said. Last year, the sandhill population that wintered at Wheeler reached a new record of 30,000 cranes.
“Here in the Tennessee Valley, we have three things that these cranes need,” Young said. “The wide open fields here around our visitor center. The leftover crop and the natural foods that they like to forage on in those fields. And then open mudflats and shallow water on the Tennessee River and its tributaries.”
The refuge has become a hotspot for birders to break out the binoculars and even get closer to the 4-foot (1.2-meter) tall cranes as visitors stay hidden behind photography blinds and a two-level observation center. An annual Festival of the Cranes in January brings more attention and visitors.
The cranes put on an impressive show, dancing on their slender legs, flapping their wings and sticking their long beaks in the air to vocalize with purring and squawks as they socialize.
Diana Maybury-Sharp, from Birmingham, regularly comes to Wheeler with friends to hike and look at birds.
“It’s pretty extraordinary. I’ve seen them in other parts of the country where there were just a few,” Maybury-Sharp said. “They’re not vocal like they are here. There’s so many here that it’s an unusual experience.”
The whooping cranes, part of the eastern migratory population that comes from Wisconsin, started migrating to Alabama in 2004 and their population is about between 12 and 20 each winter, said Young.
Whooping cranes were nearly wiped out in the early 1900s by hunters and loss of habitat from farming. Recovery and reintroduction efforts have slowly increased their wild and captive populations to more than 800, according to the International Crane Foundation.
Migratory whooping cranes depend on freshwater wetland habitats in Texas and the southeast, which could be affected by rising sea levels and droughts, according to the foundation.
They are sometimes hard to spot amongst the shorter crowd of sandhills, but their height and white feathers help them stand out. Young said the migration patterns of the cranes may change depending on the climate trends of both their nesting locations and their winter homes.
“It’s hard to say how long they will continue to winter here in north Alabama,” Young said. “And maybe they may not need to come this far south in the future. But for now, we’re really enjoying their presence and making sure to provide that habitat for them and the opportunity for people to view them here too.”
Rob Broeren, of Huntsville, brought along his telephoto lens and camera and found a good spot to practice his wildlife photography hobby. He comes to the refuge about a dozen times each year to photograph the birds and ducks.
“You just need to be patient and wait for them to do something interesting and make their calls,” Broeren said. “You get that cool shot and that’s a good day.”
Broeren was scouting locations for friends coming in from out of town who wanted a chance to see the rarest of cranes.
“Birders are big on a checklist of seeing lots of different birds,” Broeren said. “And so people that haven’t seen that species because it is quite rare are willing to drive kind of a long way if they think they have a good shot of seeing it.”
The sandhill cranes will start leaving the refuge in mid-February. Young said he notices a lot more agitation and activity when the birds are signaling they are ready to make the journey back to their nesting grounds.
“It’s usually on a day when we have some sort of a south wind,” Young said. “They’re smart and they will ride the wind back to their breeding grounds whenever it’s most convenient for them.”
Former Alabama star Will Anderson Jr. has reportedly signed a three-year, $150 million extension with the Houston Texans, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Anderson instantly solidified himself as one of the top defensive players in football throughout his rookie campaign in 2023. The star defensive end was named as the Rookie of the Year in 2023, as Anderson’s extension will officially keep him in Houston long-term, as well as make him the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
Anderson recorded an impressive 12 sacks on the Texans’ defensive line in 2025, as the former Alabama star has made history following his head turning extension with Houston.
Anderson was nothing short of a superstar throughout his time at Alabama. Houston drafted the talented lineman with the third overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft, as Anderson was widely regarded as one of the top overall selections from his class.
The former Crimson Tide superstar has officially inked a massive extension with the Texans, as Anderson will undoubtedly continue playing a critical role on Houston’s defensive line over the coming seasons.
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Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn said that No. 4 Texas would be “hungry” against the No. 11Crimson Tide coming off its first series loss of the season to Texas A&M.
The Longhorns certainly were, as they pounced all over Vaughn’s team, striking out 17 Alabama batters en route to a 10-2 win.
“The story of the game was they just kind of kicked our tail in every phase tonight,” Vaughn said.
Alabama starter Tyler Fay had been elite over his past four starts, dating back to his complete-game no-hitter against Florida, allowing just six earned runs over the 26.0 innings pitched in those games. That changed instantly on Friday evening, as leadoff batter Aiden Robbins opened the game with a double and catcher Carson Tinney took him deep for a two-run blast moments later.
Texas added a third run in the first off an Ethan Mendoza RBI double, setting the tone for a dominant day. Alabama did not record a hit until the fourth inning as Longhorn ace Dylan Volantis tore through batters, striking out 12 over six innings.
Fay ended up going 5.1 innings, just the second time he did not make it through the sixth. The other, against Auburn, was only due to Vaughn wanting to keep his pitch count down in the wake of the no-hitter. He allowed season-highs of seven earned runs and 12 hits in the loss.
The Longhorns added a run each in the third and the fifth, before Alabama put the slightest amount of pressure on Texas in the top of the sixth. Bryce Fowler and Justin Lebron scored on the basepaths off an error and a wild pitch, respectively, to cut the Texas lead to three runs.
“You’ve got to find ways to score,” Vaughn said. “Those two guys just created two runs for us, and did a great job creating those runs and we crawl back in at 5-2, and it’s like, ‘Let’s go back to work…’ So thought we had that chance in those middle innings.”
The Longhorns effectively put the game to bed in the next frame, responding with three runs as Fay was relieved by Connor Lehman. Texas would add two more runs on the day, with the only silver lining coming in the fact that Alabama avoided a run-rule.
The Crimson Tide has now lost four straight SEC games after winning three consecutive series. Zane Adams takes the mound with the series on the line on Saturday, in a game that has been moved up to 12 p.m. CT due to anticipated rain in Austin.
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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WBMA) — Alabama’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 2.7% in February, according to preliminary data released by the Alabama Department of Workforce. The figure matches January’s rate and is lower than the 3.0% recorded in February 2025.
The latest data shows 64,831 people unemployed across the state, a slight increase from 64,057 in January but down from 71,929 one year ago. Meanwhile, the number of employed individuals rose by 14,603 over the year, bringing total employment to 2,321,473. The state’s civilian labor force also grew to 2,386,304, an increase of 7,505 people year-over-year.
Wage and salary employment increased by 12,000 over the month to 2,195,300. Gains were seen across several sectors, including leisure and hospitality, government, and private education and health services.
State officials pointed to continued job growth and rising wages as signs of economic strength. Average weekly wages increased by $62.71 over the year, reaching a record high of $1,175.01. Alabama also recorded one of the largest wage increases nationally, with an 8% rise over the same period.
Several industries reported new record-high wages, including manufacturing, trade and transportation, financial activities, professional and business services, and leisure and hospitality.
At the county level, Shelby County reported the lowest unemployment rate at 2.5%, followed by Elmore County at 2.6%. Limestone, Chambers, and Blount counties each recorded rates of 2.7%. The highest unemployment rates were reported in Perry County at 7.1%, Monroe County at 6.6%, and Greene and Wilcox counties at 6.5%.
Among major cities, Pelham posted the lowest unemployment rate at 2.2%, while Vestavia Hills followed at 2.3%. Trussville, Hoover, and Alabaster each recorded rates of 2.4%. The highest city unemployment rates were seen in Prichard at 6.5%, Selma at 5.2%, and Anniston at 4.6%.
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