Flora & Fauna

Process allows researchers to monitor changes in survival, abundance and movement over time. By Tim Lyons and Mark Vrtiska Canada geese are perhaps one of the most easily recognized birds in Nebraska. From record lows in the 1960s, the goose population in Nebraska has rebounded, and geese are now common throughout the state. This growth has allowed increased recreational opportunities for hunters and wildlife-watchers, but also created problems in urban areas. Effectively managing the goose population, whether to sustain recreational …

Wild turkey hunting isn’t just a hobby for some of us, it is a passion. There is so much more to fall wild turkey hunting than just traipsing through the woods hoping to get a shot at a bird. From continually scouting the countryside to busting up flocks and calling them back together there are many action-packed aspects to fall wild turkey hunting. But, new fall turkey hunters often do not know where to find birds or how to hunt them, especially in Nebraska. So, it is time to get …

If the sound of a material like canvas or sturdy flannel being ripped brings a smile to your face as you look skyward – then you’re probably a duck hunter.  Wind rushing through the cupped wings of a flock of ducks as they quickly descend from high above makes a near identical sound.   The larger the flock the greater the sound and the bigger the smile.  This early in September the ducks are nearly always blue-wing teal – a …

CHADRON, Neb. – The public is invited to examine the natural diversity of the Pine Ridge during the third annual Chadron State Park Bioblitz on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 14-15. A bioblitz engages attendees to identify as many plants and animal species as possible within a designated area and timeframe. During this bioblitz, members of the public will team up with local natural resources experts to explore and learn about the biodiversity and habitat at Chadron State Park.  The event, …

LINCOLN, Neb. – A new website makes it easier for birders to learn about the birds that inhabit Nebraska. Birds of Nebraska Online, available at birdsofnebraska.org, offers information on status, distribution and temporal occurrence of 512 species that occur regularly or have been reported in Nebraska in a searchable format. Distribution maps are provided for species that occur regularly in the state. In addition, each species account includes detailed information that will be of interest to professional ornithologists and ardent …

MORRILL, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is lowering the water level at Kiowa Wildlife Management Area south of Morrill in efforts to improve the property’s wetland. The Commission is employing multiple management methods to control cattails encroaching the wetlands. A lower water level will allow a firebreak to be created by disking. The break will be used for a prescribed burn of the cattails this winter.   In spring 2019 the water level will likely return to normal, …

It is a season that opens at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, August 15th. It is an unusual season, but one that just reeks of adventure, challenge and tremendous entertainment value. And, trust me, this is season that will create memories and stories like no other! No, it is not a hunting season. IT is Nebraska’s bullfrog season. Look at the size of this adult North American Bullfrog being held by your blogger. Photo by Jo Momsen/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. “Bullfrog season,” you’re saying, “really?” Yep. I know …

Sometimes nature sends obvious signs about what a person should not touch. Cacti, yucca plants, porcupines and rattlesnakes have signals akin to a flashing billboard. Then there are more devious dangers such rash-inducing urushiol on unassuming poison ivy plants. I am not sure where the subject of the following story fits into that spectrum, but I now know I should have been paying a little closer attention to some signs. “Ohhh, look at the fuzzy caterpillar,” my 10-year-old daughter Kiera …

Snappers in suburbia provide learning opportunities for all ages.

It is just before dawn in Nebraska’s eastern saline wetlands. You sit quietly on the edge of a salt marsh – a nearly level pan of sparse vegetation and mud. Just in front of you water laps in rhythmic beats at the shoreline. On the opposite shore, the growing light gently begins to fill in the dark spaces, giving definition to the dusky shapes that have been murmuring in the distance. They are a mixed flock of shorebirds and waterfowl …