Nebraskaland Magazine
The TernCam is back up and operating. For four years now, the TernCam has provided everyone an opportunity to view the nesting tales of an endangered interior least tern in Nebraska without disturbing the birds. The TernCam is a remote, solar-powered camera that streams regularly updated images (about every 3-5 seconds) online through the Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership website. This year, the TernCam is located at an active sand and gravel operation along the Middle Loup River. The colony associated with this nest also contains 6 other least tern nests and 1 piping plover nest.
The nest featured by the TernCam has two eggs and is estimated to hatch somewhere between June 15 and June 20. Over the next several days, you will have the opportunity to view a wide variety of activities including, incubating, fish exchanges between the parents, hatching and feeding young. With any luck, following the completion of this nest, we will have the TernCam on another nearby nest as well.
Our thanks to the Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, FiveNines Technology Group and the US Fish and Wildlife Service for partnering on this successful project.
Make sure to check the TernCam website soon and often to catch some exciting and unique least tern activity. You can even take your own pictures from the TernCam by “right-clicking” on the image and saving it to your computer.
Here’s the full URL if you want to share it by cut and pasting:
http://ternandplover.unl.edu/aboutus/terncam.asp
Also, please take a few minutes to browse the Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership website for more cool information about least terns and piping plovers and find out what you can do to help these species.
Please share with anyone you think would be interested!
