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.

07/17/2026

Curious about duck and goose hunting? Want to learn how to ID ducks on the wing, call them in, and use decoys effectively? Join us for our 2‑part Waterfowl Hunting Class on August 11 & 12, 6–8 p.m. Registration link at the bottom of this post.

🦆Day 1 - August 11: Waterfowl Identification, Regulations, and Safety
Lead instructor: Bjorn Burgeson
This classroom-based session introduces the fundamentals of waterfowl identification, with a special focus on recognizing birds in flight. Participants will receive an overview of fi****ms and ammunition, along with essential shotgun safety practices for the field. The session will also highlight what new hunters need to get started—from required regulations and stamps and where to obtain them, to basic waterfowl hunting gear like waders and blinds. This session is ideal for beginners, or waterfowl hunters new to Alaska.

🦆Day 2 - August 12: Waterfowl Calling, Decoying, and Tactics
Lead instructor: Jason McFarland
This indoor and outdoor session covers hunting strategy and how to use duck calls and decoys to attract waterfowl. It includes basic calling principles, demonstrations of species-specific calls, and guidance on using calls effectively in different hunting scenarios. Each participant will receive a basic mallard call, though those who already own calls are encouraged to bring them. The session then shifts to decoy placement and strategy. Participants observe decoy spreads on a real pond as the instructor explains their setup choices and how each spread affects waterfowl behavior. This session is ideal for beginners as well as current waterfowl hunters looking to improve their calling and decoying skills.

Photos by Hook Pederson.

Register to attend > https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=outdooreducation.alaskansafieldregister&class=WaterfowlHuntingFairbanksAug2026

07/16/2026

What is that beautiful yellow flower blooming in the fields at Creamer’s Refuge? It’s canola, unintentionally introduced decades ago through seed or fertilizer. Although canola has been present on the refuge for many years, this season’s conditions allowed it to flourish. Barley is actually growing in the same fields, and once the canola finishes flowering and dies back, the barley should emerge. This is good news, as canola is not a preferred food source for ducks, geese, or cranes—though it does provide some cover for wildlife.

Refuge biologists are working to reduce canola on the landscape by disking select fields in midsummer, cutting down the plants before they can flower and produce seed. This is a multi-year effort that will target different fields on a rotating schedule.

07/10/2026

Most of the time, the transmitters we place on geese show us waterfowl living their best lives — feeding in lush fields like Creamer’s Refuge and migrating epic distances in spring and fall. But every now and then, those transmitters turn up in unexpected places… like this eagle’s nest.

If you ever happen to find a wildlife tracker, please return it to us. Each one holds valuable data that helps us better understand Alaska’s wildlife, and we can often redeploy them on future birds. Thanks for helping keep the science going strong! We're still waiting for the eagle to mail us this transmitter.

Video: An eaglet sits on an eagle nest. A satellite transmitter is visible on the edge of the nest by one of the support branches.

07/04/2026

Happy 250th Birthday, America! To celebrate the 4th of July, here are the American‑named birds you can spot on Creamer’s Refuge: American Wigeon, American Robin, American Kestrel, American Tree Sparrow, American Coot, American Pipit, and American Golden-Plover. How many have you seen?

📷Left to right, top to bottom. ADF&G John Hyde, ADF&G Arin Underwood, Jim Dau, Jim Dau, Adobe Stock Jim and Lynne Weber, ADF&G Arin Underwood, USFWS Peter Pearsall

07/01/2026

What to Do (and Not Do) During Breeding Season at Creamer’s Refuge. Our nesting ducks, cranes, songbirds, and shorebirds — and their chicks — are especially sensitive to disturbance from people, bikes, and pets this time of year. Here’s how you can help protect them:

Do:
• Stay on established trails.
• Keep pets leashed at all times.

Don’t:
• Harass wildlife or allow your pets to chase or approach birds. Doing so is harmful and illegal.

If you find a baby bird:
• Leave it alone. Its parents are likely nearby watching and feeding it.

Still have questions or need guidance? Call the refuge biologist at (907) 459‑7278 or the ADF&G Wildlife Conservation - Interior and Eastern Arctic Alaska frontline (907) 459-7306.

06/29/2026

Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge is recruiting volunteer refuge hosts for August 15–September 21 during peak migration in Interior Alaska.

We’re looking for friendly, energetic volunteers to welcome visitors at the Farmhouse Visitor Center, assist with light maintenance and clean‑up, and help mow and trim about eight acres around the historic farm buildings. Volunteers enjoy a peaceful on‑site residence area with a full‑hookup RV or travel‑trailer pad, including sewer and electricity. End date is flexible.

Please contact Heather McFarland at [email protected] or 907‑459‑7301 with questions. For more information, qualifications and to apply visit https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/vip/hstnorth.htm #:~:text=Creamers%20Field%20Migratory%20Waterfowl%20Refuge

06/25/2026

Duckling alert! If you’ve been out at Creamer’s Refuge lately, you may have noticed the place is bursting with baby birds. Ducklings and fledglings are everywhere right now—these goldeneye were spotted dabbling in the seasonal pond, tree swallows already have 11‑day‑old chicks, and our biologist even saw a young crane (called a “colt”) in the fields this past weekend. Keep your eyes peeled. Summer at Creamer’s never disappoints!

06/23/2026

This map is goose gossip at its finest! Each color shows the journey of one of 27 “white‑cheeked” geese collared at Creamer’s Refuge between 2022 and 2026.

Every spring, huge flocks touch down at Creamer’s to rest and refuel on their way to their nesting grounds. Thanks to ADF&G’s awesome waterfowl biologists (plus some rocket nets and solar‑powered GPS collars), we can now follow their travels. Most of these geese headed to the North Slope to nest, then flew more than 2,000 miles south to winter in the Columbia Basin of Oregon and Washington — and a few outliers winged it all the way to Texas!

And for the bird nerds: genetics are in! Of 19 “white‑cheeked” geese DNA samples, 15 were Lesser Canada Geese and 4 were Taverner’s Cackling Geese.

Read more about ADF&G goose collaring👉 https://newsrelease.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=4167

06/18/2026

Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge is managed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game - Official, but we’re far from alone out here! This place is buzzing with partners who help bring the refuge to life.

Our friends at Friends of Creamer's Field are a volunteer-powered nonprofit that fills the refuge with programs, events, and community magic. If you’ve ever been to Dairy Day (coming up July 19!) or signed your kids up for Camp Habitat, you’ve experienced their work firsthand.

On the science side, chances are your student has trekked out here on a field trip to the Alaska Songbird Institute banding station. Beyond operating the northernmost songbird banding station in North America, ASI empowers middle and high schoolers on their science journey through a hands‑on Tree Swallow nest box monitoring project.

We’re grateful for every partner who helps make Creamer’s Field a place to learn, explore, and get a little muddy in all the best ways.

06/16/2026

The big wave of spring migrants has passed, and the refuge is now in peak breeding season! Early nesters like Northern Pintails are hatching their ducklings now. These dapper ducks are just one of seven waterfowl species that raise their young here.

And they’re far from alone — 48 bird species are known to breed on the refuge, from tiny songbirds hidden in the shrubs to towering Sandhill Cranes striding through the fields.

Photo by Hook Pederson.

Address

1300 College Road
Fairbanks, AK
99701

Website

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

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