One bald eagle successfully hatched on Friday, while the other one is waiting to hatch.
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The bird then worked its way out of its shell over the next hour, emerging more fully around 8:20 a.m. ET.
The second egg was laid about four days after the first in a nest high up in a Tulip Poplar tree amongst the Azalea Collection at the U.S. National Arboretum.
With two live camera feeds fixed on the nest, people are training their eagle eyes on the birds in wild anticipation.
Hatching could take 12 to 48 hours from that point to fully emerge, an American Eagle Foundation spokeswoman reported. The first eaglet was seen breaking through its shell on Wednesday night, but it wasn’t until Friday that it appeared. The American Eagle Foundation warns that while they would love two healthy eaglets fledging from the nest this summer, sibling rivalry, predators and natural disaster can hinder that from happening and might be hard to watch. 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. Enlarge American Eagle Foundation The second hatchling could break free of its shell soon.
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Surrounded by the remnants of dinner, one of the adult bald eagles watches over the eaglet and the hatching egg.
