This March, live-streaming, high-definition cameras will offer a rare peek into the hatching of a pair of bald eagles’ eggs.
Eager spectators from around the world can watch the nest of bald eagles “Mr. President” and “The First Lady,” a pair nesting in the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington. Nonprofit group American Eagle Foundation partnered with USNA, which has been keeping a close eye on the pair since they arrived in 2014, to offer the eagle nest viewing experience on Eagles.org or DCEagleCam.org.
The eagles performed winter-time “nestorations” or the act of fortifying their home with sticks and making it conducive for their forthcoming family life. The first egg was laid Feb. 10, with a second one coming shortly after on Valentine’s Day.
The eggs are expected to hatch by mid-March after a 35-day incubation period – something that eagle nest cams, a novel form of “inspirational online entertainment,” aim to bring to viewers worldwide.
The popular eagle pair chose a tulip poplar tree in the National Arboretum’s azaleas last October 2014, the first pair to nest in the area since 1947. They managed to raise a healthy eaglet during spring and summer last year.
The two HD video cams are positioned at the nest tree top, offering direct glimpse into the nest. Experts from the AEF and a number of tree climbers installed the equipment in and around the nesting location after the pair left for their yearly migration last August.
The control box of the cameras is positioned around 200 feet from the tree base, enabled by half a mile of fiber optic cable. A large solar array designed by Alfred State College staff and students powers the whole system.
Julia Cecere of AEF said it was quite a risk to spearhead such project when bald eagles are not always guaranteed to return to their first-year nests.
"It was a happy day for everyone when both eagles were spotted back on the nest this past October,” she recalls.
A multi-agency effort will help minimize disturbance to the bald eagles and will assess environmental contaminants present in their nests. The eaglets will also undergo blood testings and be marked for identification.
Vouching for the growing popularity of eagle nest cams, webcams are also pointed at two mated pairs in East Tennessee, particularly in Bluff City and Johnson City.
Bald eagles are birds of prey reusing the same nest for a couple of years. They build upon such existing homes every breeding season and produce a massive residence that can weigh over a ton.
In 2007, these fascinating creatures were taken off the endangered species list and has continued to soar with greater numbers ever since. In New Jersey alone, volunteers recorded 191 nest sites during the season, 150 of which had eggs and thus deemed active.
