Home » Flora & Fauna (page 46)

Flora & Fauna

Success in Late Season

Feeling the need to be outdoors I opted to try my luck on some panfish for a couple evenings this past week.  The first night as I left the lake I had to pump the breaks to allow a tom turkey to get across the road ahead of me. His thick, beard nearly sweeping the ground in front of him.   After fishing the second evening I spotted the same gobbler (I assume) in pretty much the same spot.  He was …

Read More »

Food is the Lure to Take Millennials Hunting

Conditions are ripe for the oldest millennial in our family to continue to hunt. Our son, Zach, is at an age (29) where he has transitioned through many life stages — secondary schooling, new career, marriage and a child. You might think the demands of these stages compete for his limited time and resources, but actually, they don’t. These transitions have presented opportunities for tradition and family history within the lifestyle of hunting to emerge and be fostered. You see, Zach is among the millennial generation, also known as Generation Y or those born in the 1980s to the early 2000s. They currently total more than 80 million in the U.S., are the largest group of Americans alive today, and are said to be the largest cohort or group in history. Nevertheless, …

Read More »

Public urged to not disturb nesting ducks

NGPC Latest News logo

LINCOLN, Neb. – Reports of ducks nesting under bushes and in gardens and landscaping near houses are common this time of year. Most reports are of concern about the hen and nest or how the ducklings, once hatched, will make it to the nearest water. “The best thing you can do for a hen and her nest is to leave them alone,” said Mark Vrtiska, waterfowl program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. “I’ve seen a lot of …

Read More »

This one’s for the birds

Black-crowned night heron

I probably owe my job to birds as much as anything. Prior to my NEBRASKAland days, just after getting my student loans paid off, I bought a 100-500mm telephoto zoom lens and set out on the back roads of the Pine Ridge region in search of animals to photograph. Loving both the outdoors and camerawork, wildlife photography just seemed natural, so to speak. As I launched my new pastime, I was excited to get images of the charismatic mammals of …

Read More »

Dancing on the prairies

It has been another great year of viewing prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse as they performed their mating rituals on the prairie. The displays usually occur from mid-April through the first week of May. If you have never experienced the mating rituals of these two species of birds I suggest you put this on your to do list for next spring.  I cannot express how exciting the mating displays are as these birds gather on their leks to claim territories …

Read More »

It’s Bird Month; Do You Know Your Birds?

“What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?” – David Attenborough Are Everywhere You Are One thing you cannot help in this world is seeing birds. They are virtually everywhere! Look up, look down, look over there, go to the waters, the woods, the wavy field of grass or watch through the window of your home, you’ll see birds. More than 450 species of birds …

Read More »

Capitol’s peregrine falcons abandon eggs

LINCOLN, Neb. — The peregrine falcon pair atop the Capitol has abandoned their recently-laid clutch of five eggs. The male, 19/K, and female, Alley, apparently remain present at the Capitol but have not been seen in their nest box — or more importantly, on their eggs — since the morning of Sunday, April 30. During the intervening period, their eggs remained exposed to the chilly and wet weather. The nest abandonment essentially ends the 2017 nesting cycle. Nest abandonment by …

Read More »

Those Darn Hens

Still have an open spring turkey permit?  Me, too.  But with the season running until May 31 (what I believe to be the longest spring turkey hunting season in the U.S.) there is still plenty of time to get out and find a Nebraska gobbler or two.  In fact, I think the best of the season is just getting started.  Here’s why… The spring hunting trips I have been on this year have been filled with talkative toms. Even when …

Read More »

Join Citizen Science Series in Norfolk

NGPC Latest News logo

LINCOLN, Neb. – Join the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for the Citizen Science Series and help contribute to scientific understanding. This series of workshops will take place at the northeast district office of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 2201 N. 13th St., Norfolk. Each workshop will begin with an instructional segment before heading outdoors to make observations. The series topics and dates are: eBird – May 2, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. This is an online real-time checklist measuring …

Read More »

Photographing wildlife … from millions of years ago

Saber-toothed cats, by Jan Vriesen

When out and about capturing photos and stories for NEBRASKAland and other Commission materials, my mind frequently wanders to what the region we now know as Nebraska’s Panhandle looked like long ago. While at Fort Robinson State Park, I cannot help but think about how it must have appeared as an active military post in the 1800s — lively with U.S. Cavalry soldiers instead of today’s tourists. A drive through the ghost town of Orella on the serene and scenic …

Read More »