Bald Eagle Nest Cam Captures First Signs Of Egg Hatching
WASHINGTON (WJZ) -- The president and first lady are expecting. No, not the Obamas -- Mr. President and the First Lady are a pair of bald eagles nesting in urban Washington, D.C.
Alex DeMetrick reports, they could become parents at any moment.
This is nesting season for bald eagles, but these eggs weren't laid in the countryside.
They're just off New York Avenue in D.C., 95 feet up a tulip poplar tree in the National Arboretum.
"We need these large landscapes in the urban areas to support wildlife," said Dr. Richard Olsen, director of the National Arboretum.
From the ground the eagle is barely visible, but a camera above the nest is providing close-ups of the pair.
At the visitor center, they've become a star attraction.
"Oh, I think it's pretty awesome. This is a first for me," said one woman.
"I think it's amazing, similar to the pandas," said Michelle King, a visitor. "Looking forward to seeing them be born. I'm hoping we can catch that."
The first eaglet began poking through its egg Wednesday night.
"It can take 24 hours or longer for it to do it," said Olsen. "The parents will not help. The eaglet has to do it him or herself."
And both eagles take turns feeding and caring for the eggs -- their efforts are an Internet sensation.
The arboretum has taken measures to give the eagles some privacy, but for a wild species in the middle of an urban area, they've made themselves right at home.
"They're adapting," said Olsen. "We just had a helicopter fly by earlier and they weren't fazed and certainly they're not fazed by the nightlife here in D.C."
But then, they've got something more important to deal with.
To watch the birth of the eaglets, click on the link below.
