An eaglet hatched at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. on Friday, and the event was live-steamed on an eagle cam.
According to NPR, the first "pip" — a hole in the eggshell — came early on Thursday, and the eaglet emerged completely on Friday around 8:20 a.m. EST. All in, the hatch took roughly 36 hours.
The eaglet hatched to two happy parent eagles often referred to as "Mr. President" and "The First Lady," and it is the first of two eggs laid February 10 and 14.
The parents have taken turns incubating the eggs — AKA sitting on them — and the second egg is expected to hatch any day now.
Ahead of the hatch, the American Eagle Foundation, which sponsored the live webcam, warned viewers.
"This is a wild eagle nest and anything can happen," it said.
"This is the first Bald Eagle pair to nest in this location since 1947," it added.
Indeed, a mildly gruesome scene did transpire when a large fish was brought back to the nest for supper and promptly shredded and devoured.
The Washington Post reported that D.C.'s wildlife biologist Dan Rauch said it looked like the eaglet was "being fed already."
"This is an awesome chance to view nature as it happens," Rauch said. "We’ll be able to follow the eagles from their first emergence to their first flight. This is real reality TV."
The Bald Eagle Nest Cam can be seen at
dceaglecam.org.
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