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Joel Jorgensen

Joel Jorgensen is a Nebraska native and he has been interested in birds just about as long as he has been breathing. He has been NGPC’s Nongame Bird Program Manager for eight years and he works on a array of monitoring, research, regulatory and conservation issues. Nongame birds are the 400 or so species that are not hunted and include the Whooping Crane, Least Tern, Piping Plover, Bald Eagle, and Peregrine Falcon. When not working, he enjoys birding.

VOTE NOW: “Name-the-chicks” top 6 selected

We received 290 entries, stretching from Maine to Oregon, for the Peregrine Falcon “name-the-chicks” contest.  From this group, a select committee chose the top six finalists.     It is now time to vote for your one favorite.   You can do so, below. [poll id="3"] Meadowlark, Goldenrod and Cottonwood were suggested because they are the state bird, flower and tree, respectively.  Brando, Carson, and Fonda are famous Nebraska entertainers Marlon Brando, Johnny Carson, and Henry Fonda.  Disco, Rock and Jazz are ” …

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Birdlife in the forgotten corner of Nebraska

Late this past week I was fortunate to spend a little bit of time in Dundy and Chase Counties in the southwest corner of the state.  This is a terrific part of Nebraska.  Technically, it is not a forgotten corner, I am merely lamenting that I do not visit this area as much as I would like.   I enjoyed seeing this area again and on the longest day of the year no less.  More to the point, I enjoyed …

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Terncam unleashed

Ben Wheeler, a coordinating wildlife biologist  with the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project in Ord, along with our friends with the Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership announced this week that terncam is up and running for 2013.  Terncam is another webcam experience focused on a Interior Least Tern nest in central Nebraska.   Rather than me telling you about it, just hit the link and visit the webpage with the live feed. http://ternandplover.unl.edu/aboutus/terncam.asp

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Banding Day (video) – “name-the-chicks” contest coming soon

Lauren Dinan and I, along with our partners Betsy Finch and Janet Stander from Raptor Recovery Nebraska, had a beautiful morning to band the three Peregrine Falcon chicks at the Capitol.   We found out that there is one female and two male chicks.   The whole procedure took about 20-25 minutes and concluded without a hitch (which is always a relief).   Highlights can be seen in the video, below. [youtube width=”552″ height=”447″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ4acwqvW1k[/youtube] Special thanks to Capitol staff for facilitating the banding.  …

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We lost one

As several Peregrine watchers have duly noted, one of our four chicks died within the past 24 hours.   Hopefully this is an isolated case.  Currently, the other three chicks all appear fine and quite spry.  Coincidentally, the Woodmen also lost a chick about a week ago (at about the same age) and all four of the remaining chicks appeared fine at the time of the one chicks death.   I, along with Lauren Dinan and our partners from Raptor …

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Hooded Oriole: mega-rarity in a small town

I’ve said it many ways, many times and in many places, one of the great things about birds and birding is the unexpected.  There are always surprises and some get the adrenaline flowing.  Over the weekend, news spread like wildfire among birders that a HOODED ORIOLE was coming to a feeder at the Daro residence in Garrison, Butler County.  Fortunately, the Daro’s were extremely gracious and allowed birders to come see the bird until it was last seen on Tuesday.  …

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A whole lot of hatchin’ going on!

As dedicated Peregrine watchers have already noted, at least two of our falcon’s eggs have hatched.   The weather is a little bit cool, so the female is spending a lot of time brooding the youngsters to keep them warm.  However, activity at the nestbox will increase as there are hungry mouths to feed.   Enjoy the show!

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Final Tally – Four Eggs

Wow!  It took a healthy dose of patience and persistence to finally ascertain a good look at the clutch and determine that it is complete at 4 eggs.   The birds seem to have been on the eggs without a break, no doubt this is partially due to the cold weather and the need to keep the eggs from getting cold.   So there you have it, if everything goes as expected, we should see hatching occur in mid-May.

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Don’t forget the Kestrels

Remember our “other” webcam that is placed on top of and provides an intimate view inside an American Kestrel nestbox located on on the north side of the NGPC headquarters building.   These little falcons have also been active and also have four eggs (it is my understanding the Peregrines now have 4 eggs, but I have yet to catch a glimpse).  The link to this webcam is below: http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/wildlife/webcam/kestrel/index.asp Enjoy!

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Egg #3

Early Sunday morning the birds gave me a brief glimpse of the clutch and, as expected, there were three eggs.    If anymore are on the way, expect it to arrive on Monday or Tuesday.    Maybe by the time the female is done laying eggs spring will arrive?  Maybe?  Please!

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