Journaling Wisconsin: At Turtle Creek

Turtle creek flows under a weathered bridge where an old country road meanders.
In spring crowds of geese gather noisily;
tucked atop brittle corn stubble field
sunning eastwardly on many mornings.

The Red-wings are causing a rumpus
atop pompous grasses swaying in wind;
perched too on worn fence posts aligned 
like stretched dominos, as kill-dear chatter along road trusting their nests are hidden.

Then whooping cranes soar overhead,
their methodical sounds still the other
birds, as attention is now drawn above;
to sounds once endangered yet dozens 
travel Wisconsin air roads in open skies.

Turtle Creek meanders past many mellow meadows and moraines where spring
has gathered its skirts once again-
attached on her frilly Easter bonnet
bountiful with feathers ready to nest.

The Whooping Crane is the tallest bird in North America and one of the most awe-inspiring, with its snowy white plumage, crimson cap, bugling call, and graceful courtship dance. It’s also among our rarest birds and a testament to the tenacity and creativity of conservation biologists. The species declined to around 20 birds in the 1940s but, through captive breeding, wetland management, and an innovative program that teaches young cranes how to migrate, numbers have risen to about 600 today.

allaboutbirds.org

However, with the recent Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership Reintroduction Project, whooping cranes nest naturally for the first time in 100 years in the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in central Wisconsin, United States. They nest on the ground, usually on a raised area in a marsh.

Wikipedia.org

Moraines are accumulations of dirt and rocks that have fallen onto glacier surface or have been pushed along by the glacier as it moves. The dirt and rocks composing moraines can range in size from powdery silt to large rocks and boulders. A receding glacier can leave behind moraines that are visible long after the glacier retreats.

nsidc.org