Bridget Reed Morawski
WASHINGTON (WMAL) — If you’re starting to get bored of watching the National Zoo’s prized pandas, you’re in luck. Mr. President and The First Lady are expecting.
Not the Obamas, of course – the expecting couple is a mating pair of eagles perched in the National Arboretum.
The two love birds laid two eggs a few weeks ago, and have been expecting the eggs to hatch for weeks.
Eagle eggs take approximately 35 days to incubate, so the first children are expected to emerge from their eggs any hour now.
The DC Eagle Cam, sponsored by the American Eagle Foundation and the USDA, warns viewers of the unpredictability of nature. They caution viewers that at times the eagle cam could become “difficult to watch,” as anything from sibling rivalry, predatory behavior, and natural disasters could disrupt their
This isn’t the first time these eagles have been seen at the National Arboretum. The pair successfully raised one eaglet last year at the National Arboretum. And what a place to raise your kids – the bald eagles are nestled high in the canopy of a tulip poplar within the National Arboretum, a chunk of real estate that the American Eagle Foundation says was an excellent choice, and provides a great view for anyone watching on the webcams.
“We have found that it is such a wonderful medium to educate the public when we can reach them, by them sitting in front of their computers,” said Julia Cecere, an American Eagle Foundation spokeswoman.
The webcam can be accessed 24 hours a day, with two different angles available. The high-definition cameras are able to provide both the public and researchers with access that previously was difficult to come by.
“It’s become such a wonderful way to gain new information about the nesting habits of bald eagles,” said Cecere.”And then the coolest part is being able to watch the hatching of the eaglets, and it’s just a really cool thing that has never been able to be witnessed in the wild.”
Copyright 2016 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (Photo: American Eagle Foundation video feed)