Think ahead...it's 2015, and the sun is slowly burning the morning mist off the marsh...
Suddenly a call rings out.
And there, rising majestically out of the vapour, are the tallest, most glorious birds you have ever seen; their long necks stretched out and ruby heads glowing in the sun.
Your heart almost stops.
Cranes look magnificent. Their trumpeting calls sound astonishing. And they have a courtship dance that has to be seen to be believed.
Before hunting and the draining of our wetlands wiped them out, cranes were plentiful in the UK.
Today, about 15 pairs are holding steady in East Anglia,
but to give the birds a chance of restablishing their former numbers across the wetlands of the UK, cranes need a helping hand.
Our aim is to restore healthy populations of wild cranes throughout the UK, so that people can once again experience these beautiful birds.
Explore this site, watch Crane Country a short film introducing the project,
listen to the Crane Soundscape, and keep up to date with the Latest News
providing regular updates from the project team on the progress so far.
Cranes have inhabited the world for an incredible 40 million years... more than 13 times as long as human kind!
They are the tallest birds in the UK - Eurasian cranes stand at 4 - 4 1/2 feet and are Britain’s tallest bird species
They are the loudest birds - their calls travel over distances of 3 miles
They are the highest flying of all birds - they reach altitudes of 32,000 feet.
Follow the Great Crane Project on flickr