Great Crested Crane

A friend at work asked me how I got interested in birds. I didn't have to think long. Almost 11 years ago I was in a van going down a country road in Kenya. We were passing a grassy field. There in the field was a big bird.  My guide, Migwe, said it was a great crested crane.  I looked at the great crest on that gorgeous hunk of a bird and thought to myself that I wanted to show people birds like Migwe was doing for me.  He showed me other birds too such as weaver birds, lilac bee eaters, secretary birds, flamingos,  hornbills and ostriches.  The funniest one was the cory bustard because in his excitement it sounded like he was saying "hairy bastard."  But it was the great crested crane that started a birding spark in my brain that still burns to this day.