Photo © American Eagle Foundation / eagles.org
The DC Eagle Cam is back with upgrades that’ll have fans once again gawking over another potential eaglet birth at the National Arboretum.
The American Eagle Foundation re-launched the camera on Saturday, more than a month earlier than last year, when viewers tuned in to find bald eagles Mr. President and The First Lady already incubating their two eggs.
But this year, viewers can watch the pair copulating, and we’ll also see The First Lady laying eggs.
Over the course of five months in 2016, more than 60 million viewers watched the DC Eagle Cam, according to the American Eagle Foundation. The two fuzzy grey eaglets emerged from their shells in March—and Americans voted to name them Freedom and Liberty. They grew to be about the same size as their parents, learned to eat food on their own, and eventually left the nest covered in brown flight feathers.
Once all four eagles left the nesting area, arborists placed a few large tree limbs underneath the nest structure for extra stability. The American Eagle Foundation and Apex Electric Inc. also installed audio equipment in and around the nest tree so viewers can now experience live sound.
Mr. President and The First Lady returned to the nest in September and October. They’re now carrying out nest building activities and placing hundreds of sticks and other soft materials inside the nest.
Eagle pairs typically lay one to three eggs annually, according to the American Eagle Foundation. Mr. President and The First Lady hatched one egg in 2015 and two last year. They’re the first Bald Eagle pair to nest in the Arboretum since 1947.
In addition to around-the-clock viewing, eagle fans will be able to participate in live Q&A sessions with the AEF volunteers throughout the nesting season.