Flora & Fauna

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Big Game Society, which raises money through membership dues and its fundraising spring auction and dinner, donated $27,000 to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission on July 13. NBGS President Justin Hertzel, Secretary Jim King and board members Aaron Baumann and Tom King made a check presentation to Game and Parks Director Jim Douglas. The check represented the sale of the Nebraska Resident Elk tag to the highest bidder. Additional funds raised are earmarked for …

LINCOLN, Neb. — In honor of 100 years of state parks, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is calling on birders to find and identify 100 bird species in its park areas by the end of 2021. Birders of all experience levels are invited to visit Game and Parks’ state parks, state recreation areas, state historical parks or wildlife management areas to spot birds and log them using eBird or iNaturalist. Both are available online or via mobile app. Once …

LINCOLN, Neb. — Those curious about nature have opportunities to learn about birds, get trained to survey butterflies and more with Nebraska Game and Parks Commission educators in the month of May. Here are ways to boost your nature knowledge: Nature Nerd Night explores role of lady birds LINCOLN, Neb. — Join the hosts and science educators from Nebraska Game and Parks in talking about the real showstoppers of the bird world: the females. Ladies Run the (Bird) World, part …

We are in the latter part of the season for spring wild turkey hunting in Nebraska. Using a baseball analogy, it is the bottom of the 9th inning, your team is behind, the bases are loaded, there two outs and you are up to bat! I don’t think there is any doubt about it, spring wild turkey hunting late in the season is challenging. However, there are still plenty of gobbles to be heard and birds to be worked plus …

Part 1 of 3 Have you ever taken a picture of a bird or other animal, only to have it show up as a mere pinprick on the resulting photo? Why do some photos have large portions that look blurry and only a few bits that are in focus? Simply put, your camera doesn’t see the world the way you do. The lenses on your camera are constructed very differently than the lenses in your eyes (though the basics of …

Foxes are continuing to populate our urban areas A big dog rushed into my backyard a few years ago, likely because it saw a red fox puppy playing under the bushes. It let out a deep bark as it saw the adult fox that was watching over the pups. That is when things really got interesting. The adult fox leapt up and raced toward the big boxer — pretty brave for a 10-pound fox. It made a loud bark on …

Using the elements to your advantage With Mother’s Day being the target date to pursue lonely toms, you can find success at almost any turn if you’ve paid your dues scouting. However, even the best laid plans can go to waste if Mother Nature intervenes and makes your hunting, well, miserable. On more than one occasion, I’ve scheduled a hunting trip around early to mid-May, only to be blindsided by weather that only Nebraska could provide at that time of …

LINCOLN, Neb. — This May, join fellow bird lovers in celebrating Nebraska Bird Month by getting trained, celebrating birds, and boosting research through a variety of events planned across the state. More than a dozen events, such as the statewide Nebraska Bird Month 2021 BirdBlitz, provide opportunities for all skill levels. Here are five ways to get involved: Get iNaturalist trained: Learn how to use this online-based, community science platform to document Nebraska’s birds and help collect real scientific data; this …

Turkey calling. “It gets too much credit when a hunt goes right and too much blame when it doesn’t.” That according Dick Turpin of Lincoln, NE who is among Nebraska’s most veteran and legendary turkey hunters. Turpin, who is 84 years of age, will hunt turkeys for his 57th consecutive year this spring. He has hunted every spring season since it opened in 1964! I think he knows a thing or two about these birds. Turpin, originally from Bassett, NE, …

Waiting to Be Made It was January 1993. I was in my first month of a dream job as a staff photographer and writer for Nebraskaland Magazine, and I was flustered. Then editor Don Cunningham had placed a large stack of hardbound Nebraskaland volumes on my desk and asked me to become familiar with the material so I could pitch him a few of my own story ideas. Not wanting to fail my first assignment, I pored over roughly two …