World watches as 2 eaglets hatch on live webcam in Virginia; a third could emerge any day

A webcam captured the magical moment that two bald eaglets emerged from their eggs, chirped their first chirps and ate some breakfast, thanks to Mom.

A bald eagle couple named Rosa and Martin have been caring for their new babies since they hatched separately in northern Virginia on Tuesday and Friday. The Dulles Greenway Eagle Cam has been rolling as the new family bonds.

A third egg in the nest, which was laid days later than the other two, is expected to hatch at any moment, according to the Dulles Greenway and Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy.

VA EAGLE UPDATE: 3rd baby bald eagle hatches in northern Virginia, completing family as world watches

“We are excited to bring the awe and wonder of these eagles into people’s homes again this year,” Michael Myers, executive director of the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, said in a news release announcing the first eaglet's birth.

Here's what you need to know about the Dulles Greenway eagles:

Family background

Rosa and Martin are not first-time parents. Last year, the eagle cam captured the birth of their eaglet, named Orion, and his departure from the nest a few months later.

"We can’t wait to watch this pair raise their young this year," Myers said.

The eagles are named after civil rights leaders Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. Students from Sterling Middle School in Sterling, Virginia, came up with the names and submitted them as part of a contest.

The Dulles Greenway has been monitoring the couple since they arrived to the nest in the fall of 2021. The cameras capturing their daily lives were installed between the 2021 and 2022 nesting seasons, and the couple have developed an online following since.

As the camera livestreamed the new babies in their nest Friday, people were tuning in from all over the world, including Japan, Australia, Brazil, Russia, Spain, Finland and Canada, said Terry Hoffman, a spokesman for the group running the feed.