Washington DC

It's an Eaglet! DC Eagle Egg Hatches at National Arboretum

D.C. is now home to a tiny new eaglet, with one more on the way. Their parents are the first pair to nest in the area in nearly 70 years

D.C. is now home to a tiny new bald eaglet, with one more on the way.

The eaglet broke through its shell Friday morning at the National Arboretum, the American Eagle Foundation said. The foundation said the eaglet will be known as DC2 for the time being, since it will be the second eaglet to be raised by these parents at the arboretum.

The eaglet was about halfway out of its shell by 8 a.m. and completely emerged just before 8:30 a.m. Minutes earlier, one of its parents — known at the National Arboretum as "Mr. President" and "The First Lady" — brought a live fish to the nest.

The eaglet has been spotted learning how to eat throughout Friday on the American Eagle Foundation's live Eagle Cam, as a proud parent feeds it tiny bits of fish.

The pair of eagles that nested at the arboretum have spent weeks watching over their two eggs. Their second egg this year is expected to hatch in the coming days.

The eagles first built a nest in a tulip poplar tree in 2014, and raised one eaglet there last year, according to the American Eagle Foundation.

 

We have an eaglet! Eaglet #1, which (for now) will be called DC2 in our educational chatroom (as this is the second...

Posted by American Eagle Foundation on Friday, March 18, 2016

This new eaglet emerged two days after the American Eagle Foundation announced the beginning of a "pip" — the small hole the eaglet makes as it tries to break through its shell.

The "pip in progress" was first spotted on the eagle cam at 7:39 p.m. Wednesday, the American Eagle Foundation said. After that point, it generally takes up to 24 hours for the eaglet to emerge from its shell, although this eaglet took a bit longer.  

The parent eagles are the first pair to nest in the area in nearly 70 years. 

This year, two eggs were laid in the nest. The first egg arrived Feb. 10, and a second egg followed on Valentine's Day, according to the foundation.

Bald eagle eggs typically hatch 35 days after being laid. 

You can also watch another pair of nesting eagles -- these in Shepherdstown, W.Va., -- online here.

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