For the past several months, students in Elwood, Nebraska have been busily preparing this report for you. They took two field trips to view eagles that winter near their hometown. They then researched many aspects of eagle biology and invited Mark Peyton, a Nebraska eagle biologist, to their class. Their teacher, Mrs. Jo D. Blessing wrote this introduction. You'll find the students' many projects below. We hope you'll enjoy their work. We thank them for their contribution!
To: Journey North
From: Elwood Public School, Elwood, Nebraska
We live in Elwood, Nebraska which is a small rural town about17 miles south of Lexington. We are in central Nebraska and close to the Platte River.
During the winter months, eagles fish from the Platte River and they also visit Johnson Lake which freezes in spots. We consider the nearby J-2 Hydro plant a "McDonald's fast food restaurant " for eagles. The eagles perch on trees that are on both sides of the canal and feed off the stunned fish that come through the turbines. When we have really cold weather and the lake freezes, the eagles congregate around the power plant. (From mid-December to about March, up to 50 eagles congregate around the open water there!)
The J-2 Hydro plant feeds off Johnson Lake and then after running through the turbines, goes on to irrigate farm land in the Holdrege area. There is also another major viewing area about 2 hours west of Lexington near Ogallala on Kingsley Dam which is located by Lake MacConauhay.
My students were thrilled to watch the eagles during their December and February field trips to the J-2 power plant. In December, they saw 9 eagles fishing. The eagles made some great soars right toward us. We are very lucky to be able to observe these great birds. We are also in a great spot for the migration of the sandhill cranes and witness great numbers of these birds along the Platte and in the fields. Being in a small rural area where everyone knows everyone enables us to view the birds up close!!
Jo D. Blessing
Elwood Public School
Ellwood, Nebraska
jblessin@courier.esu11.k12.ne.us
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