Duke Farm's Eagle Cam Eaglet Development and Student Reactions

Sarah SherwinProject Dragonfly Graduate Student, Miami UniversityAP Environmental Science Teacher, Hopewell Valley Central High School

This Google Site contains a series of screen shots taken from the Duke Farms Eagle Cam located in Hillsborough, NJ. Screen shots have been taken since the first eaglet began to hatch on February 24, 2022. I have been incorporating the use of this nest cam into my AP Environmental Science curriculum as an engaging way to teach topics such as bioaccumulation, biomagnification, persistent organic pollutants such as DDT, and endangered species. Through the cam, I have also been able to create an engaging classroom environment as the students seem to really enjoy walking into the classroom and seeing the eagles on the projector screen.

The bald eagle nest cam has also provided my students with an opportunity to collected data for a citizen science project being conducted through Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ. It has proved to be an excellent way to engage students in the scientific process. Through this project, students collect data on the feeding behaviors they observe while watching the nest.

First Month of Eaglet Development

The first month of eaglet development at Duke Farms was an emotional one for both myself and my AP Environmental Science students. It was exciting to see the first eaglet hatch on February 24th and the second eaglet hatch on March 1st. My students decided to take bets on hatching dates, which added to the excitement. The students with the correct hatching dates received eagle stickers as a prize. We noticed that the parents were primarily bringing fish to the nest for the eaglets to eat. We also noticed that the older eaglet was typically fed before the younger eaglet. Sadly, the younger eaglet passed away on March 10th. It was hard to watch the eaglet as it stopped eating the day prior to it's passing. This became a teachable moment about wildlife survival and parental behavior when a chick dies. The first eaglet was eating well and getting big at the end of the first month of development.