On Saturday morning, one day after thousands of people gleefully watched a baby eagle hatch on live video, the bird’s sibling began to emerge from its own shell at the National Arboretum.
Watchers confirmed the first signs of a crack (known as a “pip” among the pros) just after 9 a.m., said Daniel Rauch, a wildlife biologist at the District’s Department of Energy and Environment. The full hatching process, he said, may take an additional 24 to 36 hours.
Experts didn’t expect this activity from baby eagle No. 2 until at least Sunday, Rauch said. Typically, the birds hatch 35 days after the egg is laid (in this one’s case, Feb. 14). The first eaglet shed its shell on the exact day watchers had predicted.
Shortly after 11:30 a.m. Saturday, the family patriarch — a prolific hunter named Mr. President — returned to their tulip poplar tree with a still-flapping fish for The First Lady and their gray, fluffy newborn. A cold rain began to fall minutes later, beading atop the mother’s sleek coat of brown feathers as the children remained covered beneath her.
Baby eagle hatchling interacts with its parents, while the second egg begins to crack. (U.S. National Arboretum)
By John Woodrow Cox, WashingtonPost.com, SouthFloridaReporter.com, Mar. 20, 2016
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