This article was written by WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
The Dulles Greenway and Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy are celebrating the birth of a baby bald eagle on the Dulles Greenway wetlands.
Rosa and Martin, the adult female and male bald eagles that reside on the wetlands near Leesburg, laid three eggs in February. The first eaglet hatched Tuesday morning, and the second and third eaglets are predicted to hatch within the week. You can view a video of the first eaglet eating here.
“We are elated to share the wonderful news that Rosa and Martin have welcomed their first eaglet into the nest this season,” said Dulles Greenway spokesperson Terry Hoffman in a news release. “We look forward to sharing these captivating moments with our eagle fans, as we await the arrival of eaglet number two and three in a few days. We encourage viewers to join the live-stream camera and speak with our eagle camera volunteers about Rosa and Martin’s offspring.”
According to the National Eagle Center, bald eagles typically lay one to three eggs per year and they begin to hatch after about 35 days of incubation. Once the incubation period is over, it can take up to two days for the hatchling to emerge. The next stage in the nesting process will be rearing and preparing the baby eaglets to fledge, which is at about 10 – 12 weeks of age.
Rosa, Martin, and their offspring can be viewed on the Dulles Greenway live-stream eagle cameras at www.dullesgreenway.com/eagle-cam/. The website also features a moderated chat every Monday 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. and Thursday 8:30-9:30 p.m. that allows viewers to comment and ask questions about the bald eagles. Teachers can also request a virtual classroom chat by emailing thoffman@dullesgreenway.com.
