June 2019 • Nebraskaland 41
Nebraska did an excellent job in 1929 picking its
state bird, the western meadowlark (Sturnella
neglecta). Its boisterous song, such as this sunrise
rendition at Peterson Wildlife Management
Area, has surely lifted many a spirit throughout
generations on the Great Plains – including
photographers.
The
First
99
O n e s h u t t e r - b u t t o n
p r e s s a t a t i m e , t h e
b i r d p h o t o s a d d u p .
hat the Nebraska Panhandle may lack in
diversity of bird life when compared to eastern
Nebraska it more than makes up for in its varied
landscape. That variation, from the towering sandstone
buttes through the pine forests, sandhill lakes, riparian
woodlands, grasslands, croplands and even residential
areas, is home to a diversity of birds, and some bird-
watching gems found nowhere else in the state.
Joel Jorgensen, nongame bird program manager for
the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, said many
birdwatchers from the east are often attracted to the
Panhandle to see western specimens such as the red
crossbill or pygmy nuthatch.
"You have a number of western species that creep
into the far western part of Nebraska and that makes
it attractive to a lot of birders," Jorgensen said. "Places
like Sowbelly Canyon, Monroe Canyon and the Oglala
National Grassland harbor a lot of species not found in
other parts of the state."
Birds deserve a lot of credit for making me a wildlife
photographer. When I invested in a 500mm lens about
W
STORY AND PHOTOS BY
JUSTIN HAAG
