There are Cranes everywhere!
Other than myself, friend Bruce Altrichter and my late friends John Holland and our Muhlenberg College 
professor Dr. John Trainer few people know this. There are only two Cranes native to the United States.
I mean birds guys … birds. Yes, the Whooping Crane and the Sandhill Crane are the only Cranes here in North America! Hey, I can’t make this stuff up. It has to be true it is on Wikipedia. Yeah how about this – the Whooping Crane is like the giraffe of birds (hmmm the giraffe of birds – maybe not the best analogy there.) Well, OK it is the tallest bird in the US!
Actually, I feel privledged to have seen both kinds. Believe it or not the Sandhill 
Crane will zip through Arizona (where I saw them) as they migrate. Amazing!
Anyway, these are some big birds – very impressive when you see them. Go on – look them up!
OK! Back to my original statement – referring to Switzerland however. There are Cranes everywhere. But now I am referring to the Cranes used for construction. Several years ago when I first came to Switzerland I noticed that they had these construction towers everywhere. I am not kidding you – everywhere!
Most are orange – and yes, they are extremely tall. They often come in pairs and trios and sometimes more! (Personally, I think they are pretty damn cool!) 
But literally you cannot go a few miles (sorry … kilometers) without seeing one.
I must confess after talking to several other friends they are all over Europe. You might say “commonplace.” But think about the US – where do we see them? (mostly in large cities that are building UPWARD!)
Trust me, not like this. They are like rabbits “(Crane Rabbits”) multiplying everywhere over here throughout the Alps.
But, OK let’s think about Switzerland for a minute. It is mountain upon mountain – and not talking about those 
midgets like the Blue Mountains or Appalachians. They are pretty big. So, if you want to build a house or apartment you are pretty much on the side of a pretty steep incline.
What do you do – you bring in the Cranes … nope, not the Whooping of Sandhill type. But, these guys!
Then you level everything of and drop in all the equipment needed, the cement, steel, pipes, windows, nuts and bolts and whatever else you need to create your project. Simply amazing! Honestly – amazing to see!
Take a look at a few of them … I am not kidding you – this is a small collection that I have. It has become an obsession of mine. Call it “The Cranes of Switzerland!”