Webcam of bald eagle family relaunches for 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. --- Want to do some bird-watching to ring in the New Year -- while also staying warm and snug at home?

The DC Eagle Cam re-launches today. Watch and listen to two bald eagles any time, day or night, via the DC Eagle Cam. The mated male and female eagles are mated and Mr. President and The First Lady. They built their nest back in 2014  in a U.S. National Arboretum tulip poplar tree surrounded by pink and white azaleas. According to a press release from the Pigeon Forge-based American Eagle Foundation, Mr. President "returned to the nest tree on Sept. 13 and was followed by The First Lady on Oct. 11. Since then, they both have been tirelessly carrying-out nest building activities." 

They are raising two baby eagles, Freedom and Liberty, in the nest. Thank Knoxville's Al Cecere, president of the American Eagle Foundation, for this peek into the world of a bird whose wingspan can often reach 7 feet and whose eyes are so sharp, he can spot a rabbit 2 miles away.

Cecere spoke to the News Sentinel by phone from Philadelphia where he was rehearsing with a bald eagle named Challenger who will circle the sky above the football stadium on New Year's Day during the "Star Spangled Banner." When the song ends, Challenger will return to Cercere's side and they will head to the Cotton Bowl for the next performance. 

"(Volunteers) went to Washington, D.C. to make the nest stronger when the eagles were not in nesting season," Cecere explained. "AEF has eagle webcams in Northeast Florida, in Dollywood, in Sevierville. But the one in DC is so popular." 

Two cameras offer live streaming views of the nest. The nonprofit American Eagle Foundation and Apex Electric installed audio equipment in and around the nest tree with the help of experienced arborist tree-climbers.  The whole system is solar-powered and partially funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The audio equipment can pick up distant fire sirens, tiny songbirds and a slight breeze rustling through branches.

More than 60 million online visitors from more than 100 nations have watched this feathered version of a reality TV show at www.dceaglecam.org

American Eagle Foundation president Al Cecere says eagle fans have seen amazing things on webcams.

"Eagles fly back to the nest to eat their food which can be fish or rabbits," he said. "Sometimes, they are sitting on their eggs in all kinds of weather. Sometimes you see them copulating."

Eagle coupling is not the most jarring sight an eagle webcam offers. There may be more drama than some sensitive viewers can handle.

"This is a wild eagle nest and anything can happen," the DC Eagle Cam website warns. "While we hope that all eaglets hatched in this nest will grow up healthy and successfully each season, things like sibling rivalry, predators, and natural disaster can affect this eagle family and may be difficult to watch."

A few years ago, the National Wildlife Federation had to break some disconcerting news to fans of the NWF eagle cam after viewers fretted that one of the baby eagles had vanished. Baby eagles sometimes peck their weakest sibling mercilessly to drive him away from the nest. Sometimes eagle siblings kill each other rather than bond.

But there are also awe-inspiring moments. Cecere has watched countless moments on eagle webcams and loves seeing the baby eagles peck their way through their egg shells to meet the new world.

So far, New Year's Eve has been quiet for the arboretum eagle family. The nest has mostly been empty while the eagles are apparently enjoying a hunt or just soaring majestically.  The First Lady spent several minutes rearranging twigs in her recently renovated nest. In late August, arboretum workers noticed the nest sagging. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service eagle experts from the USFWS and experienced arborists buttressed the nest underneath with large, sturdy oak and locust tree limbs.

DC Eagle Cam will periodically host live question and answer sessions including one today from noon-2 p.m.

This is the first bald eagle pair to nest in the Arboretum since 1947. Mated eagles normally lay and hatch one to three eggs annually. In February 2016, Mr. President and The First Lady incubated two eggs that hatched. Maybe this winter the President and First Lady might add to their little family so keep an eye on the nest.