Kentucky Teacher

By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

Students in Andrea Parson's 4th-grade class at Cumberland County Elementary School watch a webcam of an osprey in a nest near Lake Barkley. Photo by Amy Wallot, April 11, 2012

In doing research on osprey birds, Sylvia Braber and her Cumberland County Elementary School students noted that it’s common that the last one in a family to hatch doesn’t often make it.

Braber, who teaches 4th grade, said her students have observed an osprey family that laid three eggs. The last osprey to hatch did well after the other two, but he went against student findings and survived

“Although he was (small), the parents took amazingly good care of him,” Braber said. “The other two fledged, and we eagerly waited for our last one before he finally took the plunge.

“This is a great learning tool and a rare peek into the real world of the osprey,” Braber added. “All in all, it’s great science observation.”

The rare osprey birds that Braber and her students observe daily via a nest cam are some 200 miles away near Lake Barkley. Students anywhere can view and study the birds thanks to Kentucky Environmental Education Projects, Inc. (KEEP), a non-profit organization aimed at conserving biological and cultural resources through education, research, habitat enhancement and citizenship participation according to its website. Read the full story