Down the road from where we were staying in Ashland, Nebraska, was a conservation park and wildlife safari that no keen photographer, of sound mind, would miss the opportunity to visit!

American Bison are the largest and heaviest land animals in North America. Known for living in the Great Plains, they were hunted almost to the point of extinction during the 19^thand 20^thcenturies but have since recovered in population and are no longer as endangered.

Bison can stand five to six-and-a-half feet tall at the shoulder and can weigh over 2,000 pounds. Despite their massive size, bison are quick and are able to run up to 40 miles an hour.

All the American white pelicans at the conservation park are rehabilitated, non-releasable birds due to wing injuries restricting their flight.

Pelicans are colonial breeders, meaning they only breed if living in large numbers. A pelican’s wingspan is some nine feet and their fleshy bill pouch can hold three gallons of water! 

Second largest of the deer family, exceeded only by moose, elk once roamed through Canada, the US (except Florida) and northern Mexico. They were first called “wapiti,” a Shawnee Indian term meaning “white rump.”

Male elk antlers can reach five feet across and five feet from front to back. Each year, elk shed their antlers to grow another pair.

Sandhill cranes are a large and primarily grey bird with a red-skin forehead and white cheeks. They average from eight to 10 pounds, stand three to five feet tall and have a wingspan ranging from five to seven feet.