It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions for D.C.’s eagle cam watchers, glued to the drama unfolding high in the treetops at the National Arboretum. After the joyous hatching of one eaglet, then its sudden death, the second egg in the nest has successfully hatched.

The eagle parents, Mr. President and LOTUS, have been taking turns incubating two eggs since mid-February, in their nest near the Anacostia River. On Thursday, the first egg, called DC8 (because it’s the 8th egg laid in this nest), began to “pip” — poking its way out of the egg. After 17 hours of intense effort, the eaglet hatched from the egg on Friday afternoon. “What a heartwarming moment to see proud papa looking at his little one for the first time,” eagle cam moderators wrote on the activity log for the nest. “A precious gift with tiny talons kicking in the air.”

But by midday on Saturday it was clear something was amiss with little DC8. The tiny bird wasn’t eating, despite Mr. P’s delivery of a large, freshly-caught fish to the nest.

By early afternoon, eagle cam moderators wrote that DC8 hadn’t survived its first 24 hours. “We may have only known precious DC8 for less than a day but it doesn’t mean that we loved him/her any less. DC8 passed away peacefully in the early morning hours snuggled warm and secure under the wings of a caring parent,” the log entry reads. “Rest gently little one. We will never forget you.”

While human eagle cam watchers got emotional, the eagle parents themselves appeared to take the death in stride, showing a pragmatism common in the animal world. “At 1:50 pm, LOTUS consumes DC8,” wrote the log moderator.

By Sunday afternoon, there was a “pip in progress,” as the next eaglet, DC9 started to peck its way out of its egg. At 10:20 pm, moderators confirmed the eaglet had succeeded in breaking a hole in the egg — the beginning of the long hatching process.

A full 32 hours later, at 11:31 pm on Monday, DC9 finally fully freed itself from the egg, according to the log. As of Tuesday afternoon, the grey fuzzball DC9 appeared to be healthy and vigorous, rousing itself for its first meal of fish a little after 1 pm. The tiny bird squawked and lunged hungrily as its parent fed it hunks of fish.

Dan Rauch, wildlife biologist with the District Department of Energy and Environment, says it’s normal for the hatching to take many hours, and that while it can be a nail-biting experience for humans, it’s a necessary rite of passage for baby eagles. “They’ve got to get themselves out of this egg. It shows that they have the strength to survive.”

As for why DC8 didn’t make it, the cause unknown. “It’s just a lot of speculation,” says Rauch. “The egg sack could have broken early, so it didn’t get all the nutrients, didn’t have the energy to push through. It could be something else,” says Rauch.

Rauch says the death was probably not related to the weather. After a spell of warmth, Saturday in D.C. was chilly, with flurries of snow, but that would have had little impact on the eagle family. “These guys are built for all kinds of temperature extremes,” Rauch says.

Elsewhere in the region, there is a healthy, thriving eaglet, DG1, in a nest along the Dulles Greenway, which also has a webcam. DG1 hatched on March 13, but sibling DG2 never hatched. “DG2, you’ll always be in our hearts,” reads the eagle cam log.

Nesting bald eagles were completely absent from the District for more than 50 years, according to Rauch. Nationwide, populations of the birds plummeted in the early 20th century due to habitat loss and pesticides. The biggest culprit was DDT, a chemical that causes eggs to weaken and crack. After DDT was banned in the 1970s, eagle populations began to recover.

Bald eagles started nesting at the Arboretum again in 2015. Mr. President and his previous mate First Lady had seven eaglets together. Mr. P hooked up with LOTUS (short for Lady Of The United States) a year ago, though they didn’t have any eggs, likely because LOTUS was too young, still showing some colored feathers on her head — a marker of a juvenile eagle.

Rauch says it’s a good sign of the health of the Anacostia River and Potomac River that bald eagles are nesting here.

“These are birds we want to have around,” says Rauch. “They are the apex predators: they are a good indicator of how the rest of the ecosystem is faring.”

Many District residents may notice DC9, the eagle, isn’t the first D9 in the city: the name has already been claimed by the nightclub at 9th & U St. NW. Nightclub owners are welcoming the eaglet to the city with — what else? — bald eagle cocktails and drink specials, as well putting the streaming eagle cam on bar TVs.

“Who wouldn’t want a bald eagle to have the same name as your business?” DC9 owner Bill Spieler told Washingtonian.