Recently I had the extreme priviledge to be able to observe a rare and endangered specie in the wild about 16 miles from my home in Winnebago County. A whooping crane had been hanging out there most of the summer with a group of sandhill cranes.

DAR 27-5 or Jumblies as she was nicknamed is a Direct Autumn Release bird from a special reintroduction project based out of Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. She has colored leg bands on each leg along with a radio transmitter and a satellite tracking device. The International Crane Foundation monitors all whooping cranes and knows where this bird is at all times.

In the eastern flyway there are 52 whoopers, this bird included. When you think about the odds, it is amazing to me that I saw 1 of these 52 birds. I never thought I'd see a whooping crane in the wild in my lifetime, much less get to photograph it.

I must stress that all shots were take from my vehicle, I never left it and all of them are cropped shots. I did witness one person who felt it necessary to exit their vehicle and and walk to the other side of his truck and stand in the open to get a better look. Of course that drove the crane away, but I patiently waited and eventually the bird made its way back. There are rules in place if you do encounter one of these birds in the wild. Whooping cranes are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

There is a cool website that actually tells the story of this exact bird that I photographed. You can read about her here: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/05/BandingCodes527.html