Wildlife in the City

Post by **Brad** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 9:29 am

I thought we already had a thread about wildlife in the city...

Anyways, here is a cell phone shot of 25 Turkeys on my way to work today! 114th and Just south of Pacific!

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 9:36 am

A few years back I was in a traffic jam on 96th St, when a Turkey wouldn't get out of the way of traffic and backed us up for blocks!

S33 · Post by **S33** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 11:23 am

I only count 22 turkeys. False reporting.

RNcyanide · Post by **RNcyanide** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 12:30 pm

Saw 4 turkeys near Northwest Mutual on my way to class this morning. They seem to like that spot. I've also seen deer along Harry Anderson Avenue.

jessep28 · Post by **jessep28** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 3:48 pm

There's a doe that hangs out in Old Towne Bellevue. You see it running around the neighborhood occasionally.

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Fri Nov 22, 2013 8:27 pm

Often in the mornings when I'm coming home from work I see several turkeys at the ILQ split on I-80. I chuckle every time one of the toms puffs up at traffic

mrsticka · Post by **mrsticka** » Thu Nov 28, 2013 2:11 pm

Has a deer ever made its way into downtown?

Omababe · Post by **Omababe** » Fri Nov 29, 2013 10:06 am

mrsticka wrote:Has a deer ever made its way into downtown?

I don't know about downtown, but quite recently I had a deer cross my path on Nebraska Avenue just east of Ameristar. Lots of traffic in that area!

Post by **Brad** » Fri Nov 29, 2013 10:05 pm

mrsticka wrote:Has a deer ever made its way into downtown?

Yes, there are deer that live near 7th and Jones and also up on the north east end of downtown. A couple years ago, one of them got lost and was running around in downtown.

BobbiDon · Post by **BobbiDon** » Sun Dec 01, 2013 12:16 am

I work at Boys Town and there is so much wildlife. We have dozens of turkeys, hundreds of duck and geese, deer, and a goat that has been taken in by the deer. :yes: Of course we have all the regular city varmints as well, in great quantity.

Lastly, before the Beach Boys concert at rivers edge park there was a deer that ran through the crowd and hopped a fence to get back to the tree line. Not surprising to see a deer there, but it was still pretty crazy to see!

Post by **Brad** » Mon Nov 24, 2014 11:05 am

I knew the Swans were taken to the Zoo for the winter, but I didn't know they took the other birds in too.

By Thanksgiving, 100 ducks and geese will be cozy in winter quarters at N.P. Dodge Park

http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/by-than ... 42f2d.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Kevin Cole / World-Herald staff writer wrote:The birds, whose wings are clipped so they cannot fly, will be rounded up this week and taken to new digs at N.P. Dodge Park, said Parks Director Brook Bench. City workers built pens in a park building and installed a heated water tank to keep the birds in fine feather until the lagoons de-ice in the spring.

Post by **Brad** » Thu Oct 01, 2015 10:52 pm

Someone better call Carl Spackler out to Hefflinger Park...

Omaha_corn_burner · Post by **Omaha_corn_burner** » Fri Oct 02, 2015 11:09 am

Brad wrote:Someone better call Carl Spackler out to Hefflinger Park...

These guys are all over the creek. I see them very often near the creek, near Blondo, near 108th ST.

Also there are a whole pack of stray cats near Hefflinger Park, but the city's website says they do not do anything with stray cats.

Seth · Post by **Seth** » Thu Oct 08, 2015 6:05 pm

I saw a groundhog in an empty lot at 33rd and Mason just the other day.

I also see the usual Raccoons and Possums frequently in our neighborhood (and squirrels, of course). I joke with my wife that with coons and possums in our backyard, and a Casey's store nearby, living in Midtown isn't much different than small-town Illinois where we grew up.

U R my Helix · Post by **U R my Helix** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 10:24 am

This owl has decided to call the tree next door home, he has been here a few months now. The cardinals are not happy about it.

Post by **Brad** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 10:45 am

That's awesome. What part of town are you in?

U R my Helix · Post by **U R my Helix** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 10:50 am

Westgate / Aksarben area

Post by **Brad** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 11:26 am

U R my Helix wrote:Westgate / Aksarben area

Not too far from me. I always worry about hawks, owls, etc because our dog only weighs 3.5 lbs.

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 11:33 am

Nice pictures, I really like the ones with the owl and Cardinal in the same shot. I can honestly say, I have never seen an owl in person before (except for the zoo, which doesn't count).

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 11:34 am

Brad wrote: Not too far from me. I always worry about hawks, owls, etc because our dog only weighs 3.5 lbs.

Thats not a dog, that is a giant rat....haha.

Post by **Brad** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 11:42 am

skinzfan23 wrote:Nice pictures, I really like the ones with the owl and Cardinal in the same shot. I can honestly say, I have never seen an owl in person before (except for the zoo, which doesn't count).

I have never seen them here. I have heard them, but never seen them. I did see two giant owls in the forest in Oregon this past summer.

skinzfan23 wrote:
Brad wrote: Not too far from me. I always worry about hawks, owls, etc because our dog only weighs 3.5 lbs.
Thats not a dog, that is a giant rat....haha.

Wait until my wife reads this!

Our dog might be small, but she is very smart....

lisanstan · Post by **lisanstan** » Fri Jan 01, 2016 11:00 am

We had a lone turkey in our driveway one year. Not sure where it came from or where it went. I live on 52nd just south of Dodge. Not exactly turkey friendly.

Post by **Brad** » Mon Jan 04, 2016 10:54 am

lisanstan wrote:We had a lone turkey in our driveway one year. Not sure where it came from or where it went. I live on 52nd just south of Dodge. Not exactly turkey friendly.

Probably Elmwood/Memorial Park

Post by **Brad** » Fri Nov 18, 2016 1:58 pm

Coyotes suspected in bloody deer attack, 19 missing pet cases in Elkhorn

http://www.wowt.com/content/news/Coyote ... 09235.html

16 Cats, 3 dogs, and a deer! Wow.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Fri Nov 18, 2016 3:09 pm

Brad wrote:Coyotes suspected in bloody deer attack, 19 missing pet cases in Elkhorn

http://www.wowt.com/content/news/Coyote ... 09235.html

16 Cats, 3 dogs, and a deer! Wow.

I got a few others that haven't been reported yet

ArchStanton13 · Post by **ArchStanton13** » Wed Apr 19, 2017 10:22 pm

I've always had a fascination with wildlife in the city, so fun topic. Here's what I've seen over my 36-odd years in Omaha.

I lived in Benson for the first 30 years or so of my life. Other than a screech owl and a deer traipsing through a neighbor's yard once, I only saw the typical raccoons, opossums, squirrels, bats, rabbits, and that sort of thing. I did see a roadkill skunk on 66th and Maple once, which was a surprise. And I used to see muskrats a lot in the Papio off of the Keystone trail, but haven't for years.

I now live near Forest Lawn Cemetery and the wildlife is abundant here. I hear barred owls frequently, and see them quite a bit (the owl that was tormenting the cardinals above is a barred). Less often, we see screech, barn, and great horned owls.

Woodchucks are quite common (if you're ever on the interstate or Highway 75, look for them on the grassy slopes next to the road, I see them sunning themselves often). Lots of deer and turkeys. Had a fox go up the street by us one night, and have heard reports of a family nearby, but I haven't seen them myself. Backyard is riddled with moles, but the only one I've seen is the one my old Scottish Terrier uncovered and, sadly, left for dead. We've seen skunks around, and smelled them (first one I saw was at Kelley Field off of Fort Street one summer twilight). My wife saw a coyote down the road a few months back (I saw one in a field off of Highway 75 when I was leaving Offutt AFB one day, but nothing near here myself). And there was a bald eagle hanging out around 60th and State a month or so ago.

Probably the most stunning thing I've seen was a mink off of 160th and Maple about 5 years ago, crossing Maple and miraculously making it safely to what was then an empty field (it might still be empty, I don't get out that way often). I thought it was a weasel until a google search showed otherwise. That same week, I saw another mink going down into a creek off of Mormon Bridge Road next to the Cubby's gas station there. Never seen one before or since that week.

So that's my "backyard" wildlife. I've thought about setting up a game camera in the backyard to see what all comes along.

Post by **Brad** » Wed May 03, 2017 7:46 am

Saw a fairly healthy looking Coyote running just north of Pacific last night on the Boystown Property. Probably eating all the turkey that hang out in there.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Wed May 03, 2017 11:16 am

I thought that was you. You know it's not polite watching people eat...

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Fri May 12, 2017 9:11 am

Glutton..

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sat May 13, 2017 12:23 pm

TitosBuritoBarn wrote:Glutton..

Yeah, I get a ravenous appetite after a few beers.

Post by **Brad** » Sat Oct 14, 2017 6:47 pm

Just had a fox run through our lawn near 90th and Center!

Padre · Post by **Padre** » Sun Jun 03, 2018 3:47 pm

Well that was new. Had a deer run in front of my car at 72nd and Western about 2:30 this afternoon. I knew there were deer around, but I've never seen one this far into town.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Sun Jun 03, 2018 5:03 pm

Padre wrote: Sun Jun 03, 2018 3:47 pm Well that was new. Had a deer run in front of my car at 72nd and Western about 2:30 this afternoon. I knew there were deer around, but I've never seen one this far into town.

They’re definitely around in the west Omaha suburbs..

72nd and Western does seem to be pretty deep in the city.. But anywhere there are wooded area’s, there is the potential for deer..Even far into a city...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

JPenny · Post by **JPenny** » Sun Jun 03, 2018 5:29 pm

A few years ago my friend hit a deer in front of Nebraska Furniture Mart on 72nd street. We think he used the papio creek to get to that part of town.

Post by **Brad** » Tue Jun 05, 2018 8:28 am

Had another fox run in front of me this morning, it ran across 90th in to Westside High's property. A couple months ago a very similar looking fox ran across Pacific from Westside over to Countryside Village.

Also, I've seen two different dead deer recently, one on Dodge in front of Westroads and another on I680 just west of the Westroads.

U R my Helix · Post by **U R my Helix** » Mon Feb 04, 2019 10:32 pm

The combination of high winds and cold looks to have done in the squirrels in my neighborhood. No sign of any of them in the past week and the crows are picking apart the tree nests.

The ones living in tree cavities should be ok.

U R my Helix · Post by **U R my Helix** » Sun Jan 26, 2020 1:03 pm

Using a spotting scope and putting your cell phone up to the eyepiece while looking out a window wont make for the best owl photo. But this barred owl is calling Westgate home for the day 76th & Center.

U R my Helix · Post by **U R my Helix** » Sun Jan 26, 2020 1:40 pm

And a clip of the neighborhood fox from last week with equally bad photography.
Fox clip

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Sun Jan 26, 2020 7:43 pm

I just remembered to mention that I had seen a fox at Adams Park at 33rd & Maple. That seems very far into the city.

I've also seen deer and a very large white owl at Seymour Smith Park.

Post by **Brad** » Sun Jan 26, 2020 8:52 pm

Sweet, I have heard owls in my neighborhood just over the hill from you, but never seen one.