Every year, people get together to try and get a rough idea of how many sandhill cranes there are in western Wisconsin and the Midwest.

The dozens of volunteers that count them in Eau Claire County are helping biologists gage how healthy our wetlands are.

In this Wandering Wisconsin, I went along on Saturday's adventure to see what it's all about.

Sarah Stokes: To be a part of the annual crane count, you have to rise and shine before the sun does!

Our adventure started at 5 a.m. Saturday morning near Augusta, along a railroad bed, when these Fall Creek High School students would have normally been in bed.

"Alright I have data sheets for you you can fill it out," says their teacher Marcus Wahleithner.

Their science teacher recruited them with the promise of extra credit and an extra special experience.

He adds, "the first kind of at least vocalization we should be able to at least write something down, write down the time."

But to do anything before dawn, there was only the light of the early morning moon, a flash light or even a phone.

"If we're hearing a unison call that's a pair, that's the only way we can do it," says Wahleithner.

Once our group of crane counters got comfy, it was time to look and listen.

For the first hour, the Fall Creek Crickets heard chirping and calls from all sorts of creatures.

"There's a grouse," a volunteer said.

They listened to a woodcock, pointed out a plane and had a dog rustling around, but despite their best efforts and concentration, the cranes came on their own time.

"Unison call, you hear it??? We got a pair, record it guys," says Wahleithner. "First recording: 6:05," he adds.

They wouldn't have to wait long, just one minute for another pair to call out. Then it was time to take notes.

One of the students explains how they record their crane spotting, "the number of cranes, the time, and how we see them, like in the air, if we see them."

"Anytime you can get the kids out in nature it's awesome," Wahleithner said.

"I like coming out here, it's just kinda relaxing to listen to different animals, get away," McKenna Walbeck, a sophomore volunteer said.

But to see some cranes, my tour guide took me to the Augusta State Wildlife Area.

Just as we arrived, the cranes were singing along to the sunrise.

"They're putting on quite a show," says Karen Voss. She has been getting in on the show for 25 years, organizing the Eau Claire County crane count.

"Helps us keep track of what's happening to the cranes," she adds.

Volunteers here said they spotted fewer cranes this year, but it only took a few of our feathered friends to capture our attention.

Voss points out a crane, "there he is right over the tree line."

She adds, "they hearken back to prehistoric times and they're still here with us and we hope for centuries to come. It's just an outstanding experience I think the birds are a fabulous indicator of the fabulous wetlands that we have in Wisconsin and that really is the key."

And the key to keeping track of sandhill cranes is the volunteer corps. She says they're always in need of more people to step up for the sunrise excursion.

Students or citizens, Voss loves to see natures lovers born out here. And for this biologist, the annual outing never gets old.

"By the time I get out here at six in the morning and you can watch the sunrise over just a gorgeous wetland, and listen to those multiple species of wetland birds that wake up in the morning and come on one by one, that's it. That's what keeps me coming back year after year," Voss said.

The crane count happens at 50 sites in Eau Claire County every year as well as in other Wisconsin counties and neighboring states.

Once the volunteers' information is compiled, it gets sent to the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo.

Voss says the cranes in our area have returned from their migration in Florida in time to nest here this spring.

To learn more about how you can get involved, Click here for a link to the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo or click here for the sandhill crane count information.