Former Central Senior Biologist Mark M. Peyton of Gothenburg, Neb., has published a book, “The Village Naturalist”, and will be promoting his book with a signing event on February 17, 2018, at the J-2 Hydroplant Eagle Viewing Center from 10 a.m. to noon.
Follow this link for more info on Peyton’s book http://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com/the-village-naturalist/
Post by Mark Peyton – CNPPID Senior Biologist
February 1st marks the mid-point in the eagle viewing season at Central’s J2 Power plant located south-east of Lexington. So far this has been an excellent season with both consistent numbers of eagles and quite a few visitors.
To date over 1,000 people have signed the registration book averaging over 45/day. They have been treated to about 25 eagles that are actively fishing, flying, and interacting with each other. The viewing center is open through February on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Shown here is Dr. Letitia Reichart’s Ornithology Class from the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
For further details, see our eagle info page here.
Colder weather has Central’s staff working towards preparing for winter activities. One of the most popular winter activities at Central is the eagle-viewing season. Central opens two eagle-viewing centers – one at the J-2 Powerhouse near Lexington, Neb., and one on the shores of Lake Ogallala – where viewing is available in a heated setting, and open to the public each weekend from late December through early March.
For many years the J-2 Powerhouse has seen its share of eagles that enjoy the quiet atmosphere and open water for a supply of food. A favorite resting place for the eagles has been a dead tree on the west side of the canal not far from the powerhouse building. Over the summer, this “favorite” tree fell, and Central employees felt it needed a replacement.
The new perch pole seen above was constructed by Gothenburg employees and set up near where the old tree stood in hopes that the eagles may use it in a similar fashion.
For more information on eagle-viewing opportunities, visit our Eagle-Viewing web page.
