• Welcome to Eagle Watch 2020

    Each spring, students in Mrs. Pace's speech classes enjoy following the life cycle of several families of wild bald eagles.  Below, you will find links to the three cameras that we have followed most closely in recent years.

    The first nest is located on the campus of Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia.  The other two nests are in the farm country of Decorah, Iowa.  Because of the warmer climate, the Georia eagles typically lay their eggs in December.  Their eggs hatch in February, about the time that the Iowa eagles begin laying their eggs.  

    Speech students enjoy beginning each weekly speech session with a quick peek at the nest activity.  Each weekly peek gives us a chance for conversation starters and natural communication exchanges that allow for developing descriptive language, and highlighting similarities and differences as we compare and contrast the features of each nesting site.  Some of the differences we have noticed include:

    • weather--the Iowa nests often have snow on the ground (and in the nest) during the early stages of nesting season while we have never seen snow in the Georgia nest
    • geography--students have the chance to access a map and learn the difference between countries, states, counties, and cities as we look for Mount Berry and Decorah on a variety of maps
    • landscape--becaue the Iowa nests are on farmland, we can often see cows and horses in neighboring fields--there are also distinct differences in trees and vegetation--notice the pine tree in Georgia compared to the desdisuous tress in Iowa--and notice the pine needles that line the nest in Georgia compared to the corn husks that line the nests in Iowa 
    • developmental stages of the eaglets--because the Georgia eagles lay their eggs about 4 weeks before the eggs are laid in Iowa, we are able to compare the differences as the eaglets grow so quickly in the early weeks.
    • What other similarities/differences can you find between the nests linked below?

    Berry College Eagles

    Decorah North Eagles

    Decorah Eagle Cam

    NOTE:  The Berry College nest contained two eggs in January.  Sadly, neither egg was viable and the eggs never hatched.  So, there will be no eaglets to watch in that nest this year, but the adult eagles to continue to visit the nest regularly.