An American Badger (Taxidea taxus) checks out a can of grub- and fish-based bait that I am using to search for Plains Spotted Skunks (Spilogale (putorius) interrupta) at a prairie dog town on property owned by Golden Prairie Bison in Cherry County, Nebraska.
From one of my trail cameras set up to look for Plains Spotted Skunks (Spilogale (putorius) interrupta) at the top of a rocky canyon on property owned by Golden Prairie Bison, Cherry County, NE. Haven't gotten any of the skunks, but I did get this mother Bobcat (Lynx rufus) with a kitten. That small metal can is my skunk bait
Compilation of clips from a trail camera at a prairie dog town at the Nature Conservancy's Niobrara Valley Preserve, Keya Paha County, Nebraska.
I apologize for the audio cut off at the end, but I can't get my video splicer to fix it.
0:00-0:20 Shows an Ord's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ordii) running along the fence line. Watch what the Bobcat (Lynx rufus) in the upper left corner does next.
0:20-0:39 Watch what the Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) do when a presumable Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) shows up on the telephone pole.
0:39 Shows a Coyote (Canis latrans) crossing the fence line, then watch for the Ord's Kangaroo Rat.
Compilation of clips from a trail camera at a prairie dog town at the Nature Conservancy's Niobrara Valley Preserve, Keya Paha County, Nebraska.
I apologize for the audio cut off at the end, but I can't get my video splicer to fix it.
0:00-0:20 Shows an Ord's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ordii) running along the fence line. Watch what the Bobcat (Lynx rufus) in the upper left corner does next.
0:20-0:39 Watch what the Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) do when a presumable Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) shows up on the telephone pole.
0:39 Shows a Coyote (Canis latrans) crossing the fence line, then watch for the Ord's Kangaroo Rat.
Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) standing outside burrow at Black-Tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) town at Golden Prairie Bison properties near Valentine, Cherry County, Nebraska. Quite a few of them were seen at the town.
See (and hear) more of these owls and other denizens of the town here: https://www.patreon.com/JohnBrennan687/posts/prairie-dogs-and-167952016?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) standing outside burrow at Black-Tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) town at Golden Prairie Bison properties near Valentine, Cherry County, Nebraska. Quite a few of them were seen at the town. The next image shows a prairie dog mid-"wahoo" jump-yip. Quite a lucky coincidence that I was able to get that.
See (and hear) more of these owls and other denizens of the town here: https://www.patreon.com/JohnBrennan687/posts/prairie-dogs-and-167952016?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
Found this specimen of Anaxyrus (woodhousei) woodhousei last week at the Nature Conservancy's Niobrara Valley Preserve, Brown County, NE hopping along the road at night.
Found this specimen of Anaxyrus (woodhousei) woodhousei last week at the Nature Conservancy's Niobrara Valley Preserve, Brown County, NE hopping along the road at night. This is our most common toad, found statewide and often partial to sandy habitats. Often difficult to tell from our 2 other toad species. More on that here: herpneb.unl.edu
Footage from our Field Day on 7/28/2026. We were taken into the American Bison (Bison (Bos) bison) pasture at the Nature Conservancy's Niobrara Valley Preserve in Brown County, Nebraska. The males were quite loud, as can be heard in the videos, because this is their mating season.
See more images and videos of these bison here: https://www.patreon.com/JohnBrennan687/posts/bison-herd-at-165329046?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
While I was at Fontenelle Forest in Bellevue, NE yesterday, I found a bunch of invasive Japanese Beetles (Popilia japonica) feeding on grapes (Vitis) and other plants. I decided to dispose of them by tossing them in water, often with frogs nearby. This American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) took notice and ate some of them.
Full uncut footage available here: https://www.patreon.com/JohnBrennan687/posts/bullfrog-eating-164777832?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
While I was at Fontenelle Forest in Bellevue, NE yesterday, I found a bunch of invasive Japanese Beetles (Popilia japonica) feeding on grapes (Vitis) and other plants. I decided to dispose of them by tossing them in water, often with frogs nearby. This American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) took notice and ate some of them. Full uncut footage available here: https://www.patreon.com/JohnBrennan687/posts/bullfrog-eating-164777832?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
Found this member of the Class Diplopoda at Indian Cave State Park, Richardson & Nemaha Counties, NE in September 2024. Any idea what it is? Invertebrates are not always my strong suit.
We found these specimens of Eurytides marcellus during our tree surveys at Indian Cave State Park, Richardson & Nemaha Counties, NE. Lots of Paw-Paw (Asimina triloba) trees for the caterpillars to feed on.
See more and learn more about their host plants here: https://www.patreon.com/JohnBrennan687/posts/zebra-at-indian-163492766?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
Some footage from one of my trail cameras at a prairie dog town at the Nature Conservancy's Niobrara Valley Preserve, Keya Paha County, Nebraska.
The Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) can be seen digging, standing watch, sounding an alarm, and even looking into the camera lens. Never got footage of them doing that before. They got pretty close to the camera this time.
Some footage from one of my trail cameras at a prairie dog town at the Nature Conservancy's Niobrara Valley Preserve, Keya Paha County, Nebraska.
The Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) can be seen digging, standing watch, sounding an alarm, and even looking into the camera lens. Never got footage of them doing that before. They got pretty close to the camera this time.
Trail camera footage from last year of the only known Northern Saw-Whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) in Iowa from Loess Hills State Forest, Preparation Canyon Unit, Monona County. You may need to turn your volume up to hear the calls.
See more of these owls here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/northern-saw-at-132146660?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
All trail camera footage obtained from Loess Hills State Forest is available to the public free of charge, courtesy of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
A rare red morph of the Western Plains Garter Snake (Thamnophis radix haydenii), which I found a few years ago at the Nature Conservancy's Platte River Prairies Preserve in Hall County, Nebraska. This morph is rare in the wild, most specimens are gray, sometimes with a hint of brown or green.
See more photos and original uncut videos here: https://www.patreon.com/JohnBrennan687/posts/red-morph-plains-161576782?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
See what normal Western Plains Garter Snakes look like here: https://youtu.be/-vxKCUim_aY
Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) hard at work digging and packing down dirt at their town the Nature Conservancy's Niobrara Valley Preserve in Keya Paha County, Nebraska, USA.
From my most recent trip to check my trail cameras in the Sandhills (5/29-30/2026).
I encountered a Blanding's Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii), an endangered species, on the road in Rock County, NE while driving up to the Nature Conservancy's Niobrara Valley Preserve. I initially suspected it was a Western Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii), but the spotting and later the yellow-bottomed head made me realize its true identity. The Nebraska Sandhills is home to the largest population of these turtles in the world.
While on my way back to NVP from some errands in Ainsworth, Brown County, NE, I encountered a female Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata ornata), which I also carried across. As you can see, the turtle tried to pee on my while I carried it.
For original, uncut footage, see here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/blandings-turtle-160253737?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
Male and female Blue-Winged Teal (Anas discors) at the Calamus Outfitters Switzer Ranch, Loup County, NE. This species is a common spring migrant in our area, especially in the Missouri River valley.
See more of these ducks and other wildlife at this site here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/april-2026-at-158970760?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link