Mr. President and The First Lady to Hatch Eaglets Live via Nest Cam

Viewers from around the world are awaiting the hatch of two eggs in the nest of Bald Eagles named Mr. President and The First Lady.

The D.C. Eagle Nest Cam is live streaming the nest of Mr. President and The First Lady as the world watches for two fuzzy eaglets hatched from their eggs.

The bonded pair of Bald Eagles returned to a nest site high atop a tulip poplar tree at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. for the second year in a row to hatch and raise their young.

The first Bald Eagles to nest in this area since 1947, they successfully raised one eaglet in spring/summer of 2015 before leaving for their annual migration in August.

The American Eagle Foundation partnered with the U.S. National Arboretum to mount two HD video cameras in the top of the nest tree and pointed at the nest. About a half-mile of fiber optic cable was run to the cameras’ control box located 200 feet from the base of the tree. A large solar array designed and built by students and staff from Alfred State College, School of Applied Technologies, powers the entire system.

No one knew for sure if Mr. President and The First Lady would return to the nest.

“Bald Eagles don’t always return to their first year nest. It was a little risky investing in this project without any certainty that the eagles would return for a second season,” said Julia Cecere, publicity coordinator for the American Eagle Foundation. “It was a happy day for everyone when both eagles were spotted back on the nest this past October.”

Staff watched the nest cam as the Bald Eagles spent this past winter fortifying their five-feet-wide by six-feet-deep nest with sticks.

Bald Eagles Mr. President and The First Lady nest in a tulip poplar tree amongst the National Arboretum’s blooming Azalea collection overlooking the fish-filled Anacostia River.

The First Lady laid the first egg on Feb. 10, 2016 and the second followed on Valentine’s Day. The pair take turns tending the eggs, which must incubate for about 35 days. The first egg is due to hatch as early as March 15.

The U.S. National Arboretum was established in 1927 and is 446 acres in size. The American Eagle Foundation is a not-for-profit organization with headquarters at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Photo: © 2016 American Eagle Foundation, eagles.org, screenshot captured by Sue Greeley, U.S. National Arboretum