By Julie Thomas, PhD
Some argue it’s too cold to go birding in the winter. We Lincolnites, however, are fortunate to have an ideal winter birding site inside the Chet Ager Building located at the Pioneers Park Nature Center. This building is accessible and provides window walls and cushy chairs that look out onto a feeder-filled garden area. Ample outdoor resting spots (rocks/tree limbs), varied feeders, and water sources invite birds and small-mammal visitors, too. Yes, you have it right—you can just sit there looking out the windows and the wildlife comes to you!
The Chet Ager Building is a bit like a clubhouse—complete with nature displays. Here you will find songbird, raptor, owl, and vulture taxidermy as well as seasonal bird photo (and song) displays. In the saline wetland exhibit, you will find raccoon and groundhog taxidermy as well as live reptiles including a salamander, snapping turtle, painted turtle, Blanding’s turtle, box turtle, bull snake, and black rat snake. This cozy building allows unique visitor opportunities to study nature specimens and to view live wildlife through the viewing window.
For the weather brave, two short trails begin just outside the Nature Center: the Heron Wetland Loop (.7 miles) and the Arboretum & Garden Loop (.3 miles). These mulch-covered trails are accessible, though not shoveled during winter. You can check out gear including trekking poles, monoculars, and listening devices to enhance your outdoor explorations. Park staff can also advise unique park features you might watch for on these trails, such as the suspension bridge and Morticia, the Great Horned Owl.
I have fond memories of Chet Ager Building visits with my grandchildren. These were special times when my husband and I shared stories of nature experiences. I am proud to admit that sometimes my grandchildren knew more than I did. To date, we continue to receive email and text messages about their nature experiences, and we are glad to have helped them learn to value the natural world. I encourage you to bring along the children you love when you head out to the Chet Ager Building this winter. You will be glad you did!
Pioneers Park Nature Center, Chet Ager Building
3201 S. Coddington Ave., Lincoln, NE
Visitor Hours: Mon. - Sat., 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Contact: 402-441-7895, naturecenter@lincoln.ne.gov
Julie Thomas, PhD, is a retired Science Educator and a Research Professor Emerita from the University of Nebraska, and a contributing writer for 55+.