NATURE TRAIL & WATCHABLE WILDLIFE


                       



 
Here at Creekside B&B we mow our nature trails throughout our 40 acres for easy access to seeing the Ponderosa pines, the Mountain Ash, the winding Squaw Creek and the many different Nebraska wildflowers, one of which is the Penstemon.  We are also located next to the Ponderosa Wildlife Management Area.   Here at Creekside B&B, we have bird watching, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, Merriam turkeys, white-tailed deer, mule deer, raccoons, porcupines, snappin turtles, Woodhead toads, many varieties of birds and other wildlife.

Guide to Watchable Wildlife Viewing:  
  1. How to Fade Into the Woodwork:  walk softly, crouch behind boulders or vegetation to hide your figure, try not to throw a shadow, remember that your reflection may be caught in a pond,  wear natural colors and unscented lotions and remove your glasses to avoid glint.
  2. To Let Animals Be Themselves:  resist the temptation to save baby animals, let animals eat their natural foods, resist the urge to throw something to see a flock fly, savor the experience and absorb all that it can teach you.
  3. Now Stick to the Sidelines:  use binoculars or zoom lenses to get that picture and do not get too close to a nest since that might cause the parents to not come back to feed their young.
  4. Come to Your Senses While Viewing:  deepen your awareness by tapping your sense of smell - taste - touch - hearing and sight, watch for out-of-place motions (i.e. flight of birds stand out against a backdrop of falling leaves), look above and below you, and silence can speak volumes.
  5. Be Easy to Be With:  make yourself small and unassuming, move like molasses - slow-smooth and steady, never advance directly toward an animal.
  6. Try to Think Like an Animal:  figure out the best time of day for viewing by knowing an animal's daily schedule - dusk and dawn are good viewing times.
  7. Camera Tips:  400 mm lens is best to use, have sun at your back, aim for featuring wildlife in natural surroundings and afternoon light is a good time for the picture.
  8. Binocular Use:  sight the animal over the tops of the eyepiece of the binoculars and be slow to bring the binocular to your eyes, as noted in #5.                              

Whitetail deer are very secretive, travelling and feeding primarily at sundown and again in a few hours before dawn.  They usually can be found near or close to timber and creeks, which is where Creekside B&B is located.
 










   
  
This Mallard male or "drake" duck and hen have come 
to our pond for the past two years.  The average life of a Mallard 
is 5-10 years and they weigh up to 3 pounds.   They are fun to watch as they mate.  They come in the early morning and stay until about noon.  Mallards are thought to be the most abundant duck on Earth.  The hen is always very brownish in color, but does have a purple tinge on her side wings.



The Merriam's Turkeys are here year round. There are two seasons - Spring and Winter.  The Merriam's Turkey was named after Clinton Hart Merriam, the first chief of US Biological Survey.  Hunting Merriam's turkey in Nebraska can be done either by shotgun or bowhunting.  Both are equally challenging at is requires patience and knowledge of Merriam's turkey habits.  They are extremely intelligent birds.  Camouflage is important when hunting Merriam's in Nebraska.


           Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep here at Creekside B&B are here year round.  Bighorn males are called rams and they are famous for their large, curled horns. Their horns can weigh up to 30 pounds.  Fighting for dominance or mating rights, males face each other and rear up their hind legs to hurl themselves at each other at 20 miles per hour.  The resounding clash of horns can be heard for miles...this can be repeated for many hours ....until one ram submits and walks away. The animals thick, bony skull prevents serious injury.  The Bighorn females are called ewes and they have smaller horns.  Only in the Winter do the Bighorn Sheep move down to the lower-elevation pastures to graze on seeds, plants and available grasses.


Snappin turtles can be found at our other pond which is on our new Nature Trail that we mowed for our guests.  This turtle is about 18 inches in diameter.  We also saw a 4 inch snappin turtle in the pond next to the B&B
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