Located on the Crane Trust Property , this lodge is protected as part of their 10,000 acres of conserved prairie on the Big Bend region of the Platte River in Nebraska.
This beaver lodge separates a manmade lake from a beaver-inhabited wetland. American beavers are the primary
inhabitants of this lodge, but other popular sights here are great blue herons, American coots, red-winged blackbirds,
and painted turtles. A recent study showed that beaver activity soars in the summer and fall, but drops off during the
colder months when other animals utilize the woody home.
Located on the Crane Trust Property , this lodge is protected as part of their 10,000 acres of conserved prairie on the Big Bend region of the Platte River in Nebraska
This beaver lodge separates a manmade lake from a beaver-inhabited wetland. American beavers are the primary
inhabitants of this lodge, but other popular sights here are great blue herons, American coots, red-winged blackbirds,
and painted turtles. A recent study showed that beaver activity soars in the summer and fall, but drops off during the
colder months when other animals utilize the woody home.
Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary, formally known as Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary , aims to preserve and protect the Platte River ecosystem and its bird species. The sanctuary offers tours along the Platte during crane migration season and educates about Nebraska cranes via school lectures and summer camps.
Positioned to get a sky-high view, this camera captures a wide area of Sandhill Cranes and river wildlife such as
deer, bobcats, and other birds. As the cranes hunt for food during the day, the best time to monitor them will be during sunrise or sunset.
Mounted on a communication tower on top of a public power and irrigation district office in western Nebraska, this camera overlooks Kingsley Dam. On the left of the dam lies Lake McConaughy and on the right, Lake Ogallala.
At twenty miles long, four miles wide, and 142 feet deep, Lake McConaughy presides as the largest reservoir in Nebraska. Nested on the opposite side of Kingsley Dam is the “little lake”, Lake Ogallala. Although created as an overfill space for Lake McConaughy material during the construction of the dam, the half-mile long and a quarter mile wide “little lake” has become an important recreation spot for fisherman and boaters alike. The Nebraska Games and Parks Commision supports the Lake McConaughy State Recreation Center , and the lake is a popular destination for watersports, camping, and hunting.
This camera is placed in Nebraska’s fifth least-populous county, according to the US Census, Loup County. Unlike our other live cameras, this camera is mounted to a mobile stand that allows it to be easily transported to anywhere in the area.
According to Birds of Nebraska, since the first recorded bald eagle nesting in 1991, the Nebraska bald eagle population has jumped to at least 209 nests as of 2017. Around 80% of these nests preside along the eastern Platte River.
Since 1981, the researchers at the UNL Gudmundsen Research Station have been studying the ecology, economics, and geology of the Nebraska Sandhills. Gudmundsen’s 1,200 acres of wetland prairies and 11,600 acres of sandhills allow for extensive research opportunities in this rare and unique ecosystem.
The windmill captured in this camera is one of several windmills on the Gudmundsen property. Each windmill pulls water from the Ogallala Aquifer, and cows gather around the pool to drink or cool off on a hot day.
Since 1978, the Crane Trust has been working to preserve and research the hydrological and biological features of the Big Bend region of the Platte River. This region supports several endangered species, including the namesake species of the preserve, sandhill and whooping cranes.
Sandhill cranes primarily live and migrate in North America, but they have also been observed in Siberia. They primarily breed in northern regions and migrate south during the winter months.
