Research

As much as I don’t like the cold, I must admit… I had a TON of fun this past weekend! Below is a photo taken from inside my apartment in Northeast Nebraska last Thursday. The snow did not fall until after 1:30 PM, and once it did, it kept falling and falling like nobody’s business. But nothing catastrophic happened. My windows did not shudder. It was hardly  the “blizzard,” “storm” or “snow-mageddon” as projected. To me, it was a nice …

What can I say? I kinda like her. She was a little roughened up last year and she has a sketchy history, but she still looks great. Considering that my wife is probably reading this, I’d better explain. I’m talking about Crow Butte – a true jewel of the Pine Ridge and an object of my affection. One of our jobs as members of the magazine staff is to produce pretty photographs – it’s an exciting but intimidating task when …

Over the last couple of days Nebraska has been preparing for Winter Storm Q (a terrible name by the way). I have also been preparing, but of a slightly different sort than many of my neighbors. I was handed a GoPro camera two days ago and told to have fun. My version of fun quickly became trying to figure out how to record a timelapse video of the impending storm. But I have little if any mechanical or technological know-how, …

If you’ve been paying attention to the forecast, you’ll know that we’re in for some real winter. I can’t say that I’m excited, but I am certainly curious. The guys at the Norfolk office have been telling me to stay put and to stock up on food and water, and to keep my phone charged in case if anything happens. I feel like I’m preparing for an earthquake, or something! Anyway, all this talk of winter reminds me of last …

Well here I sit waiting for a mink. I so wanted to get some awesome pictures of this mink that was diving through open holes in the ice and swimming under the water and ice in search of a tasty meal. The mink came up through the open hole in the ice with a small bluegill. Believe me it was soooo cool to watch. The snow is coming down this morning and I am starting to get cold waiting to …

The opportunity to get up close with Nebraska’s wildlife is a key incentive that attracted me to this job. Ordinarily, for me, bringing the wildlife closer is a feat aided by the use of a long telephoto lens. Last week, however, I got close enough to the live version of Nebraska’s largest big game animal that I didn’t need any magnification to get a good look. Todd Nordeen of Alliance, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission district wildlife manager, invited me …

Wehrspann Lake in southwestern Omaha has one of the city’s best hike/bike trails in eastern Nebraska. With more than 5 miles of paved trail next to water, tallgrass prairie, and an array of wildlife, the area is perfect for an afternoon jaunt. But while Madeline, Eli, and I were there, strollers and stuffed animals in hand, I came across one question I didn’t know the answer to.  Hopefully someone out there (Hint, Hint Daryl Bauer) can answer it for me: When …

Find out why boxelder bugs might not be the pests many people think – and why they are great to have around for frustrated insect photographers.  Click below: http://prairieecologist.com/2013/02/18/thank-goodness-for-boxelder-bugs/

This past week, I received a phone call from Dan Sutherland, Superintendent at Willow Creek State Recreational Area. He said that there were approximately twenty eagles flying around the lake! Excited, I ran back home to grab my camera gear and then headed out there to catch them before sundown. Because I’m not from around here, I was a little surprised at how close Willow Creek is from town. Only about half an hour away from Norfolk, Willow Creek SRA …

When Jeff Kurrus and I arrived in Genoa last Wednesday, we had no idea what the morning would have in store for us. A few weeks back, the magazine staff received an email from a Katie Bosock, who wrote that she had something neat to show us. Katie didn’t say exactly what it was. The only clues I received were flashes of descriptions like “museum,” “tools” and “farm.” Jeff’s guesses were about as good as mine. To my surprise, Katie …