Nature Center Programming

The gentle giant.
Bison, also called buffalo, often look calm and majestic while spending most of their time grazing. However, bison weighing between 1,000 and 2,000 lbs. and standing around 6 feet tall, can run fast and jump up to 6 feet high from a standing position. These animals are well-adapted to life on the prairie. Their shaggy coats keep them warm in the winters and transport prairie seeds when they roll on the ground or shed their fur. Their frequent grazing, roaming, and dust baths also help shape the landscape by creating bare ground where different prairie plants and animals may live.

Home sweet home.
Living, dying and even dead trees provide diverse habitat for many animals including owls.  The most common owls at the Nature Center are barred owls, great horned owls, and screech owls, all found in wooded areas. Active mostly at night, and with excellent camouflage, owls can be hard to spot. Look for tree cavities where an owl might be sheltered, or in a stick nest. Clues that an owl might be near are owl pellets on the ground or white mutes (owl droppings) on tree branches and vegetation.

Sometimes wet, sometimes dry.
The wetlands at the Nature Center were constructed in the 1930’s. Filled by rain and runoff from surrounding areas, wetlands help protect water quality by filtering water, reducing flooding, and decreasing erosion. During long periods without precipitation, the ponds may dry up completely. If you look along the wetland’s edge, you may find the tracks of heron and racoons or even a mink, opossum, or coyote. These and other animals come to the wetlands to feed on frogs, fish, crayfish, insects, and other aquatic life. Watch quietly, you may see animals moving along the bank or in the water.

A habitat for birds and other wildlife.
Salt left behind from an ancient inland sea and seepage of saline groundwater over time has created saline wetlands in eastern Nebraska. Like other wetlands, this ecosystem is important to insects, birds, and other wildlife. Some plants do not grow well in the saline soils but others, such as inland saltgrass, are found here. Small insects found in the water such as mosquito larva, dragonfly nymphs and water striders are known as macroinvertebrates. They are an important food source for birds, amphibians, fish, and turtles.

Where there is water there are birds.
Scan the water and look for birds, wadding, swimming, and feeding in and near the water. Whether migrating and briefly stopping over, breeding, or overwintering ducks and geese utilize wetland resources including protective cover, food, and water. Common species include Canada geese, mallards, wood ducks, blue-winged teal, and northern shovelers. In the spring and summer many ducks and geese nest and raise their young in the wetland. The young will learn to forage and survive on their own. Birds will overwinter where there is open water and food.

Amphibians
A sure sign of spring is hearing frogs calling after spending the winter burrowed in the ground or at the bottom of a pond. The longer warmer days allow amphibians to become once again active. Through the summer and into the fall many aquatic frogs like bullfrogs and cricket frogs can be spotted on the water’s edge. Toads and tree frogs are found on land. Frogs and toads sit and wait for prey to fly by. Their large eyes and quick reflexes are necessary to capture fast moving insects.

All in the canine family.
Found throughout eastern Nebraska, members of the canine (dog) family, coyote and fox are adapted to rural and urban environments. Mammals are the main food source for both coyote and fox. They also eat birds, insects, fruit, or scavenge for dead animals and food scraps. Humans can co-exist with these predators by securing pets, garbage, and compost piles. Look for coyote and fox droppings and tracks along trails and wet areas. Droppings and urine can be left to mark territory. Their ranges vary in size based on food and resource availability.

Active near water and woodlands.
Racoon, mink, and muskrats are a few of the small to medium size mammals found near wetland, stream, and woodland habitats. Muskrats will make their homes in the banks of a pond or build lodges in a wetland. Racoons seek shelter in tree cavities and mink use dens in the ground. Typically nocturnal, all three species become most active after dark when looking for food. Mink are carnivores, they eat crayfish, frogs, rodents and more. Racoon and muskrats are omnivores however, muskrats mainly eat plants and racoons have a flexible diet.

Listen and look for birds in all seasons.
A wide variety of birds can be observed at the Nature Center. Take note of bird color, size, behavior, habitat, and location such as on the ground, at the top of a tree or along water. Take a closer look. What markings do you see? Are there patterns on the wings, back or breast? What other colors are the feathers, beaks, eyes, or legs? Listen for songs, pecking, flapping or other movement. Look for bird evidence like nests, holes in trees or tracks. Birds can look, sound or act differently depending on the season or time of day. Make observations often and you will learn all about these interesting animals.

Home underground.
Moles are small mammals that live most of their lives underground.  They will create shallow tunnels just beneath the surface when searching for food. Moles eat insects and insect larvae, worms, snails, and some plants. To find mole tunnels, look for small ridges of raised up earth on woodland trails. Groundhogs are herbivores, they are active during the day searching for grasses and plants to eat. They dig deep burrows and networks of underground tunnels. Burrow entrances are about 10–12 inches wide found in often in woodlands and sometimes under buildings or sheds.