DC Eagle Cam 2018: First Egg Laid By Liberty And Justice

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Let the countdown begin! D.C. bald eagle parents Liberty and Justice laid their first egg of 2018 on Wednesday evening, and you can keep up with the hatching process live when streaming the Eagle Cam, the Earth Conservation Corps (ECC) announced Thursday.

Mama Liberty and Papa Justice are two mature bald eagles who have nested 110 feet above the Metropolitan Police Department Training Academy in Southeast Washington since 2004.

Their first eaglet of 2018 is expected to hatch between March 15-20, officials said. The egg will be called ECC3 until it hatches.

"We also are anxiously waiting to see if Liberty will lay a second, and potentially a third egg," the ECC said in a statement. "It normally takes anywhere from a few hours up to 72 hours before a second egg will be laid. Then it is another wait to see if a third egg will be laid within another 72 hours."

The proud parents have laid one to two eggs every year. Last year, Liberty laid her first egg on the evening of February 4, which hatched in mid-March. Her second egg was laid the evening of February 7, but was non-viable and did not hatch.

See Related:

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• First DC Bald Eagle Chick Hatches (Video)
• DC Eagle Cam Update: Name the Eaglets Contest Begins
• Watch DC Eagle Cam Live as Adorable Chick Explores the Nest

Once the eaglet(s) hatch, ECC will announce their names. Last year, the ECC ran an eaglet-naming contest. Over 4,000 people voted on the name Spirit last year.

The ECC said both parents are doing well and are healthy, the ECC said. Justice is a gentleman and already gave Liberty a rest from sitting on the egg. Throughout the next 35 days the couple will switch on and off duties of incubating the egg, occasionally rotating it so that it keeps the same temperature throughout, the ECC said. The pair will not leave the egg alone for over 30 minutes.

Here's a video of Liberty's first egg laid for the 2018 nesting season:

>> You can livestream Liberty and Justice as they prepare for more eaglets here.

Photos via ECC