[cranes squawking] [string arpeggios] [birds chirping energetically] - Mark Johnson: Before I met Hendrickson, I'd never seen a sandhill crane.

[descending piano notes] - My name is Mark Hendrickson.

- Well, my name is Mark Hanson.

[ding] - My name is Mark Johnson.

[ding] Among these other Mark(s), I'm 'Johnson.'

- Hanson: Johnson, [ding] Hendrickson, [ding] and Hanson.

[ding] We're part of a counting team for the crane species, in particular.

- Mark Hendrickson: The crane population, back in the 1930s, they were decimated, nearly extirpated from their home territory.

The crane count was started to monitor the populations.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, good spot, good spot.

- Mark Hanson: It's a designated day of the year, usually mid-April.

[crane trumpeting] - Mark Hendrickson: The count is in seven states here in the Midwest.

Right now, I think Wisconsin has about 1,200 counters.

- Hanson: Hendrickson started doing this in the late '70s.

- Mark Hendrickson: It started in 1976.

I jumped on board in 1979.

I think I might be the longest one in Wisconsin doing it.

[laugh] Ah, you know, I'm not gonna brag about it.

We're asked to be out there from 5:30 until 7:30 in the morning.

[rewinding videotape] [laughter] Yeah.

[bell dings] - Mark Hendrickson: Round up here at our house at 4:00 in the morning, maybe a little before.

It's a 20-minute drive to the parking lot.

Holy cow!

Here we go.

Then, I've got something on... - Mark Johnson: And it's about a 45-minute hike back there, about a mile and a half.

[birds chirping] - Mark Hanson: The birds are most active during sunrise and just after.

That's why we get out there that early.

[lively birdsong] [rattling bugle call] - Hot dog!

- Mark Hanson: When we start hearing, it was still pretty dark.

5:58, maybe?

- Mark Hendrickson: Yeah, I'd say yeah.

- Mark Johnson: Is that a single, or...?

- Mark Hendrickson: That was a unison.

- Johnson: That was a unison.

- Mark Hendrickson: We're listening for two types of calls.

The unison call, [male and female cranes' duet call] which the male and the female do together.

The second call is like a warning call, [trumpeting warning] and it's if somebody ventures too close or if there might be a predatory animal nearby.

[crane calls assertively] "5:42 in 2017.

"A grand awakening, multiple unison calls.

We're estimating six birds."

- Mark Johnson: Luckily, Hendrickson keeps all the notes.

Hanson and I don't have to do anything, [chuckles] except look good.

- Mark Hendrickson: See him out there?

There was one that sounded close, but I don't know.

- No, yeah.

- Okay.

- Mark Hanson: We hear 'em and help each other, you know, identify 'em and point out where they might be.

There's one there!

- Flying over.

- Yeah, yeah, oh, yeah.

- Two of them, three of them!

- Hendrickson: Oh, boy!

- Hanson: There we go.

- Mark Hendrickson: Yeah!

- Hanson: It is right on cue, guys.

- Wow!

- I got lots to write down here.

- Johnson: Yeah.

[laughs] - Hanson: Better get going.

- Mark Hendrickson: Regarding my friends, Johnson and Hanson, who take part... the first two or three years doing this, I was on my own at the site.

And so, I mentioned to them, about, "How about coming along?"

They immediately accepted the invitation and have been vital to me in doing it and accompanying me in taking part in it.

- Mark Johnson: I have been doing the crane count since 1983.

- Mark Hanson: I've been doing the crane count since about 1980.

- Mark Johnson: So, that's about 40 years.

- Mark Hendrickson: We don't talk about why we do it or how much we like it.

- Mark Hanson: Well, I do it for the camaraderie with the guys, and I do it 'cause I'm interested in wildlife and nature.

- Mark Johnson: Mostly the tradition.

Watch the sunrise.

It's really special.

- Mark Hendrickson: It means a lot for your good friends to pick up on something like this, and take part, and be wholeheartedly interested in doing it.

- Johnson: I'd say both Hendrickson and Hansen are among my best friends.

- Mark Johnson: Good couple of guys, because we have a lot in common.

Just enjoying each other's company, joking around.

[laughing] - Johnson: He doesn't have any money.

[laughing] - Hendrickson: I got Apple Pay...

I got Apple Pay.

[laughing] - Oh, Apple Pay, that's right.

- Hanson: Oh!

- Mark Hendrickson: So, we're saying 26.

- Mark Hanson: That's a great total.

- Hendrickson: Yeah, yeah.

- A lot more than some years.

- Right, yeah.

- Mark Hanson: Yeah.

We have a good time.

We go out for breakfast afterwards usually, and make a good morning of it.

- Mark Hendrickson: We're people who are committed to the outdoors, to conservation, who love wild places, and like getting back and enjoying nature.

[purring crane calls] [shimmery music]