It’s a sign of the bald eagle’s return that there is a pair nesting at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. The two, named, appropriately, “Mr. President” and “First Lady” (I prefer to call them “Obama” and “Michelle”), were caught in the latest storms, but sat intrepidly in a snow-filled nest to keep their eggs warm. As WTOP reports:
A pair of nesting bald eagles at the U.S. National Arboretum teamed up to protect their two eggs from the storm. The arboretum’s eagle cam captured both First Lady and her mate, Mr. President, atop the eggs.
Mr. President joined his mate for several hours in the nest, adding an extra layer of warmth. The First Lady was seen sheltering her eggs from the storm Monday night and into Tuesday morning, the arboretum said.
Look at these cold and bedraggled birds protecting their genes! Yes, I know it’s just a form of kin selection (which is what parental care is), but it still tugs at the heartstrings, just as we feel sadness when a cheetah takes down an antelope, which is simply natural selection.
This is from today’s eaglecam feed; be sure to check it out it tomorrow at the link above.
h/t: Nicole Reggia
The pair in Pittsburgh (at least the ones with the camera on them) didn’t fare so well last month.
I regularly watch the pair of nesting bald eagles in Hanover, Pa. It’s a fantastic stream with very good quality and sound (https://hdontap.com/index.php/video/stream/bald-eagle-live-cam). They have a couple of eggs in the nest now, and it’s been very interesting watching them take turns in this snowstorm to keep them warm. However, I’ve never seen both at the same time on top of the eggs!!!
Very touching.
“I prefer to call them “Obama” and “Michelle””
Fair enough, but I wouldn’t give Trump the satisfaction.
that is impressive. I did not realize how small their eggs were.
O dear. I don’t know what to say.
But the strength that this must take. Whoa!
Blue
Strange, I just happened to be watching an old film, Where Eagles Dare, the other night. This is better although the film was not bad.