Each fall, thousands of sandhill cranes fly over Chicago as part of their migration to the southern U.S. But this year more cranes than usual flew directly over the city, due in part to an early cold snap up north and westerly winds that pushed them to the lakeshore.
When I heard that most of those cranes would stop at a wildlife preserve just two hours south of Chicago, I asked Field Museum ornithologist Josh Engel to take me down there. And two wildlife photographers, Ken Koontz and Josh Feeney, agreed to meet us there. But we were all in for a surprise – two rare, endangered whooping cranes appeared in a field near Jasper-Pulaski.
Special thanks to wildlife photographer Jerry Goldner for telling me about the Sandhill Cranes, letting us use some excellent video and photos, and introducing me to Josh, Ken and Josh.
Watch Sky Full of Cranes to learn more about the crane’s migration, and view interactive graphics and a slideshow.
Operation Migration has played a role in reintroducing endangered whooping cranes into eastern North America. Watch a video of their work.
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Nov. 18, 2014: Every year at this time, Sandhill Cranes migrate south. But this year, the skies over Chicago seem to be full of them. Field Museum ornithologist Josh Engel explains why.