Mr. President and The First Lady "Give Birth"

[bradl]

While we are inclined to give new parents their privacy, I think this could be the exception. Besides, we've overloaded the camera anyway.

Enjoy!


http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...am-watch-fans-await-emergence-of-bald-eaglets

Egg-Cam Watch: Bald Eaglet May 'Pip Out' In D.C. Tuesday
Updated March 15, 201610:34 AM ET
Published March 15, 20168:37 AM ET
By Bill Chappell


A mated pair of bald eagles that have nested in the U.S. National Arboretum since 2014 are now starting a family, taking turns incubating two eggs — and one of them could hatch sometime Tuesday. Two webcams are currently trained on their nest in Washington, D.C.

You can watch the webcam online — we'll note that the American Eagle Foundation warns, "This is a wild eagle nest and anything can happen."

What we're all hoping for is that first "pip," the sign of a baby bird trying to break through its shell, followed by a successful emergence.

The two eggs were laid on Feb. 10 and Feb. 14; on Twitter, egg-watchers have been using the #dceaglecam hashtag to follow the nest, and to guess when that first egg will hatch.

"This is the first Bald Eagle pair to nest in this location since 1947," the foundation says. It adds that the two eagles have been dubbed Mr. President and The First Lady.

If both eaglets emerge and remain healthy, they would continue a streak of success for their parents, who raised one eaglet last year at the National Arboretum, a 446-acre green space and research facility that's about two miles northeast of the Capitol building.

BL.

 

[AlliFlowers]

Great view!

 

[bradl]

And the Eaglet is Landing!

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...nding-pip-in-process-caught-on-web-cam-in-d-c

The Eaglet Is Landing: 'Pip In Process' Caught On Web-Cam In D.C.
Updated March 17, 201611:00 AM ET
Published March 17, 20166:42 AM ET
by Bill Chappell and Laura Wagner

One of two eggs laid by a mated pair of bald eagles in Washington, D.C., is showing a "pip in process," according to officials watching the nest at the U.S. National Arboretum.

"We have a pip in process!!" says an update sent by the American Eagle Foundation, which clarifies, "It's not technically a full pip until there is a full hole."

The group says it could take between 12 and 48 hours for the eaglet to fully emerge from the shell.

A "pip," we'll remind you, occurs when a baby bird breaks through its shell using its beak. You can watch the eagle webcam online to see the young bird hatch — but be warned, the American Eagle Foundation says: "This is a wild eagle nest and anything can happen."

People watching the nest online have been debating the hatch date and discussing the birds using the hashtag #dceaglecam.

The two eggs were laid on Feb. 10 and Feb. 14. The second egg is expected to hatch in the coming days.

As we reported Tuesday, the foundation says, "This is the first Bald Eagle pair to nest in this location since 1947," adding that the two eagles have been dubbed Mr. President and The First Lady. The Two-Way also wrote:

"If both eaglets emerge and remain healthy, they would continue a streak of success for their parents, who raised one eaglet last year at the National Arboretum, a 446-acre green space and research facility that's about two miles northeast of the Capitol building."

While we wait for that second egg to hatch, here are some bald eagle fun facts from the National Eagle Center:

• Eagles generally mate for life. They "engage in significant courtship and pair bonding behavior" and once a pair has formed they will remain together for many years. However, if a mate dies, the surviving eagle will usually find a new mate quickly.
• Eagles lay clutches of one to three eggs. Four-egg clutches have been reported, but this is rare. The eggs are laid one at a time with a separation of a day or two between each egg, and they hatch in the order they are laid. The incubation period for the eggs is about 35 days.
• The male and female eagles share incubation responsibilities, but the female typically spends more time on the nest than the male. Sometimes the female will leave the nest to hunt, at which times the male will be called upon to remain at the nest. (How very "eagle-itarian").

BL.

 

[AlliFlowers]

Resource limit reached. Apparently this is something everyone wants to watch.

 

[bradl]

Resource limit reached. Apparently this is something everyone wants to watch.

Caught part of it yesterday afternoon. And to be honest, I found this more exciting to watch than following any of the other threads here. Caught the first one trying to break out. And with that, one down, one to go!

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...-eaglet-emerges-from-its-egg-on-d-c-eagle-cam

Hatched! Eaglet Emerges From Its Egg On D.C. Eagle Cam
Updated March 18, 20169:21 AM ET
Published March 18, 20168:22 AM ET
by Bill Chappell

After days of anticipation, a fuzzy wing flopped out of the remains of an egg shell Friday morning, signaling the hatching of a baby bald eagle who's been watched and fretted over, via an eagle cam set up at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.


The bird then worked its way out of its shell over the next hour, emerging more fully around 8:20 a.m. ET. Throughout the process, its parent eagle alternated between peering attentively (to be honest, eagles don't seem capable of anything but) and nestling over the fledgling and a second, as-yet-unhatched, egg.

The little wing-flap came more than 24 hours after the first "pip" — a hole in eggshell — was spotted, bringing sighs of relief and joy to the eagles' fans.

You can watch the eagle webcam online to see the eagle's nest — but be warned, the American Eagle Foundation says: "This is a wild eagle nest and anything can happen."

The egg was the first of two that were laid in February to show signs of hatching — setting off excited speculation and the Twitter hashtag #dceaglecam.

The eggs have been incubated by a mated pair of bald eagles, who've taken turns sitting in the nest and hunting for food. On Thursday afternoon, a large fish was brought back to the nest for supper, a scene that was repeated at breakfast time Friday (if you're wondering, eagle breakfast is served at 8:15).

"This is the first Bald Eagle pair to nest in this location since 1947," the American Eagle Foundation said, adding that the two eagles have been dubbed Mr. President and The First Lady.

As we've reported:

"If both eaglets emerge and remain healthy, they would continue a streak of success for their parents, who raised one eaglet last year at the National Arboretum, a 446-acre green space and research facility that's about two miles northeast of the Capitol building."​

The two eggs were laid on Feb. 10 and Feb. 14, meaning it could be several days before the second egg hatches.

The excitement about the hatching has also brought a chance for many people who've followed the eagle nest in Washington — and similar eagle webcams around the nation — to learn more about how bald eagles live. For instance, eagles generally mate for life, and while female eagles usually take the lead in incubating their eggs, male eagles also take a share of those duties.

Some pics:

BL.

 

[AlliFlowers]

I agree! I finally got connected, and watched most of the night. "Majestic" just doesn't quite cover it.

 

[bradl]

The second eaglet is on its way, as a pip has been spotted.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...-the-way-for-americas-most-patriotic-nest-cam

Eaglet Number 2 Is On The Way For America's 'Most Patriotic Nest Cam'
Updated March 21, 20168:54 AM ET
Published March 19, 20162:08 PM ET
by Camila Domonoske

The best-loved baby bird in the nation's capital is about to have some competition.

As we've previously reported, "Mr. President" and "First Lady," a mated pair of bald eagles in the National Arboretum in D.C., have been incubating two eggs before a rapt audience, thanks to a 24-hour web cam.

The first baby bald eagle emerged from its shell on Friday morning, to the delight of the eagle-cam audience. As Bill reported at the time:

"After days of anticipation, a fuzzy wing flopped out of the remains of an eggshell Friday morning ... The bird then worked its way out of its shell over the next hour, emerging more fully around 8:20 a.m. ET.

"Throughout the process, its parent eagle alternated between peering attentively (to be honest, eagles don't seem capable of anything but) and nestling over the fledgling and a second, as-yet-unhatched, egg."

Well, that second egg has moved from unhatched to hatching: the "pip" has been detected. That's the first hole the baby bird pecks through its eggshell, as it works its way out into the world.

The "pip in progress" was confirmed by the American Eagle Foundation around 10 a.m. EDT on Saturday. By early afternoon, there was a visible hole in the shell.

It could be a while yet before the second eaglet fully emerges; in the case of the first baby bird, more than 24 hours passed between pip and final appearance.

The newly hatched bird will be joining an older sibling who has already mastered sitting up, looking around and eating, so there will be some catching up to do.

If you want to keep tabs on either bird you can watch the webcam — which has been dubbed "the most patriotic nest cam in the United States" by the American Eagle Foundation.

If you tune in from 2-4 p.m. EDT on Saturday, you can also join in a livechat with other webcam-watchers and experts.

We'll reiterate the warning from the foundation that "this is a wild eagle nest and anything can happen."

So yes, there's a non-zero chance you might witness something unpleasant happening to a tiny, adorable ball of feathers. And if you watch long enough, there is a 100 percent chance that you will see violence done to a fish.

More pics:

With the last picture, you would think they would feel like they've died and gone to heaven if they ever found their way to a fish/sushi market in Tokyo or San Francisco.

Anyway, on the webcam's and NPR's sites, the top names for the eaglets are:

1. Ronnie and Nancy
2. Don (Henley) and Glenn (Frey)
3. Gladys Knight and The Pip

Personally, it's a tossup between #1 and #2 as both are fitting, given this year so far, but #3... touche.

BL.

 

[bradl]

Following up on this. The Eaglets have been named.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...iberty-month-old-eaglets-get-new-names-in-d-c

Freedom And Liberty: Month-Old Eaglets Get New Names In D.C.
April 26, 201612:20 PM ET
By Bill Chappell

After tens of thousands of votes, the pair of eaglets that were born in the National Arboretum last month now have official names: Freedom and Liberty won, beating out other options such as Stars and Stripes.

The eagles have been very popular: Since February, more than 35 million people have watched them progress from eggs to hatchlings to eaglets, according to the American Eagle Foundation, which set up cameras near the birds' nest in the arboretum in Washington, D.C.

More than 36,000 online votes were cast in the competition to name the two young eagles, the foundation says.

The winning names of Freedom and Liberty were announced via the Friends of the National Arboretum Facebook page, where voting was closed just before midnight Sunday.

"Those names were my second choice," Facebook user Diane Morris wrote on the group's post announcing the names, "as I still prefer Honor and Glory as there are no known eagles by those names and they represented the integrity of the parents. Well done people, I was so afraid they would be named Stars and Stripes."

Here are the five paired names voters chose from:

• Stars and Stripes
• Freedom and Liberty
• Anacostia and Potomac
• Honor and Glory
• Cherry and Blossom

The only question is... Who is who?

BL.