TRAUNIK - Alger County was the site of a rare bird sighting this
week when an endangered whooping crane appeared off a dirt road
near a corn field, about two miles north of Traunik. Initial
reports from those spotting the bird thought it was an albino
sandhill crane. The whooping crane was seen with the grayish or
rusty brown-colored sandhill cranes. Whooping cranes are
distinctively white. The crane, known to researchers as No.
2705, is a female hatched in captivity at the Necedah National
Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin in spring 2005. In autumn that
year, the bird was fitted with radio transmitters and legs bands
with a distinct color pattern, allowing for positive
identification. Not only was the sighting unusual for local
birdwatchers, but it was also interesting for researchers at the
International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wis. "We've never had
a bird there before. It's a little bit puzzling," said Sara
Zimorski, co-chair of the whooping crane tracking team. "It's
completely new to us too, so we're not