A close-up look at a national symbol

Courtesy photo/Saint Olaf Catholic School

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Courtesy of Saint Olaf Catholic School

SALT LAKE CITY — For the past several weeks, the fifth-grade class at Saint Olaf Catholic School has been getting a rare look inside a wild bald eagle nest. A parent informed school staff about the web cam providing a live stream of pictures of an eagle’s nest at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens in Norfolk, W.Va. (www.wvec.com)

Not only are the on-camera events interesting, but there is also a moderated discussion sidebar where comments can be posted and questions asked. Volunteer experts post responses with information periodically throughout the day.

The class’ computer has been kept on during the day so students can monitor daily events in the life of the eagle family. When there is a sighting of the eaglets, the entire class rushes to watch what is happening in the nest. Other classes joined in the excitement waiting for the second and third eggs to hatch and watching the feeding activities.

The first eaglet had hatched when the class first joined the live stream. Eaglet #2 appeared on March 15 (during Math class) and eaglet #3 joined the family on St. Patrick’s Day (during PE). Early days were spent watching both eagle parents feed the little bobble heads. (The young are called bobble heads because of the way their heads poke up and down.)

Fish, water fowl and even small squirrels are brought to the nest and stored around the edges for easy access. Both parents take turns sitting on the nest to keep the babies warm and safe. The male eagle sits regally, keeping an observant eye on the world around the nest. The female eagle not only spends time sitting on the nest, but tidies up the nest. After three weeks of watching the eagle cam, it’s amazing to see the change in the eaglets. Parents now leave the nest for periods of time – always staying close enough to watch their babies. The eaglets’ feathers are developing. The greatest changes have been their body size and their playfulness, as well as their examination of the world around them.

Students wrote compositions about their experiences: "It’s neat that they are never left alone and that the parents take such good care of them." — Devan "I love that the babies look like bobble heads. It was fascinating the way the eggs cracked before the eaglets hatched." — Summer "It’s really cool the way eaglet #1 and #2 fight for food, and then push each other around like they are playful puppies." — Alex "The eagles don’t know that we are watching them….When the dad wants to sit on the nest, he pecks at the mom until she flies away."

The class gained great insight and knowledge about our national symbol – the great bald eagle.