Conservation - Wildlife Viewing
 Peregrine Falcons at the Capitol
This is the fourth year that the Peregrine Pair has successfully hatched eggs. Peregrine falcons were first observed at the State Capitol when a lone male was seen in August 1990. Peregrine falcons almost disappeared from the lower 48 states following World War II because of eggshell thinning caused by the pesticide DDT. In 1970, the falcon was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Recovery efforts, including the release of falcons at tall buildings in urban areas, were successful. By the late 1990s, peregrine falcon numbers recovered and the species was removed from the list of endangered species in 1999.
View the slide gallery! >>
Watch
the Kestrels on the Kestrel Web Cam
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has an American
Kestrel nest box on the north side of the headquarters building in Lincoln, Nebraska.
We have placed a small video camera 3/4" diameter x 2 1/2" long in
the top of the nest box.
Last year,
a pair of American Kestrels successfully fledged young from this location. In
early April 2009, a female kestrel laid 3 eggs in the nest box. She may lay 1
to 2 more before the month-long incubation.
Cranes are among the oldest living birds on the planet. Fossil records place Sandhill Cranes in Nebraska more than nine million years ago, long before there was a Platte River, which, by comparison, is only a youthful 10,000 years of age. The landscape then was savanna-like and its inhabitants were more like that of modern East Africa; varieties of rhinos, camels, and elephants long since extinct. Yet cranes survived and watched as American bison, pronghorn, and wapiti evolved on the prairies. Humans now dominate the landscape having replaced the bison with cattle and the prairie with corn and concrete. This startling transition occurred in less than 150 years, a mere blink of an eye in geologic time!
Where do you look for specific wildlife
Nebraska is blessed with abundant wildlife. The menu on this page is a partial listing of some of the most common wildlife you will encounter while exploring Nebraska's wildlife areas, parks or just driving down a rural road.
Wild Life Species Guide - identify wildlife you are seeing using the guide. Nebraska is blessed with abundant wildlife. The menu on this page is a partial listing of some of the most common wildlife you will encounter while exploring Nebraska's wildlife areas, parks or just driving down a rural road.
Todd Nordeen - Wildlife Division Panhandle District Manager has some
suggestions for catching a glimpse of western Nebraska wildlife, in particular
the Big Horn sheep.
At Fort Robinson – Smiley Canyon road/parking areas,
Mexican canyon lookout, Soldier Creek road, and the numerous hiking and horseback
trails. Fort
Robinson WMA parking area.
Peterson WMA, Chadron State Park overlook
and hiking/horseback trails, Cedar Canyon WMA, Montz Point WMA, Pine
Ridge National Forest trails, all provide excellent opportunities to
engage in great wildlife viewing. To get a good preview of what the area looks
like check out the Panhandle Photo Gallery
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