Photo by © American Eagle Foundation

Photo by © American Eagle Foundation

Since the American Eagle Foundation and the National Arboretum launched the D.C. Eagle Cam, tens of thousands of folks have been glued to their computer screens. The site is live-streaming two videos of bald eagles “Mr. President” and “The First Lady” as they await two fuzzy offspring to hatch. “The First Lady” laid one egg on Feb. 10, and then a second one four days later. The eaglets are expected to enter the world as early as next Tuesday.

At any given time, hundreds of people are obsessively watching along (when we checked this afternoon, more than 800 were tuned in) and chatting with AEF staff. “Eagles do mate for life and normal do not seek another mate unless something happens,” an expert responded to one person who was curious about eagle monogamy.

“Mr. President” and “The First Lady” are nesting in a Tulip Poplar tree at the U.S. National Arboretum. The duo successfully raised one eaglet in 2015, and they are the first bald eagle pair to make a home here since 1947.

To keep things interesting, a caption under the two feeds reads: This is a wild eagle nest and anything can happen. While we hope that two healthy juvenile eagles will end up fledging from the nest this summer, things like sibling rivalry, predators, and natural disaster can affect this eagle family and may be difficult to watch.

Filed Under: arboretum, d.c. eagle cam, dc eagle cam, eagles, eaglets, nesting,