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Eagle Cam Giving Students Real-Life Lessons On Nature, Wildlife

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Three for three!

The third eagle egg hatched in the nest in Hays Wednesday afternoon, as the world watched.

Watch the video here!

3rd eaglet hatches at Pittsburgh Hays nest by PixCams on YouTube

But only two of the eaglets had hatched, when school kids checked in with "Bald Eagle Cam" earlier in the day. The live web feed runs all day long in Jackie DelGreco's first grade class at Cornell Elementary School in Coraopolis.

Classmates watch with wonder as the doting parents feed the little eaglets.

"This is a really great little community," the teacher explains, "but we don't have bald eagles. Being able to watch that daily, it's contagious. Their excitement about it has made us want to know more about it."

"How heavy is an eagle?" a first grader asks.

"They can be up to three feet tall, and weigh up to 14 pounds," her teacher answers.

KDKA's Dave Crawley Reports:

The students were thrilled by video of the mother, discouraging a late-night raccoon visit. Though the little eaglets are cute and cuddly, the kids have also learned that Mother Nature isn't always warm and fuzzy.

"They eat lots of different kinds of animals, like fish and rabbits," one youngster says.

"First graders, 6- and 7-year-olds, they love animals. So, to try to get to explain to them that eagles need to eat, and that's their food," DelGreco says.

It's a learning experience no textbook could match.

"This made such a difference in our classrooms this year," the teacher concludes. "It gave the kids experience they wouldn't get anywhere else.

Click here to watch the LIVE Eagle Cam!

Game Commission Officer Gary Fujak talked to KDKA Morning News about the eaglets.

He says the game commission is surprised by the amount of views the webcam has gotten since it was put up.

"I think all of us are a little surprised at how this has taken off," says Fujak.

Gary Fujak

RELATED LINKS:
More Reports on the Hays Bald Eagles
More Reports by Dave Crawley

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