A nesting pair bald eagles at Berry College in Rome have hatched two eaglets this week.
The college has a live webcam that has allowed viewers and scientists to watch the eagles and their nesting over the years. The eagles have nested in a tall pine tree on the campus between the main entrance and the parking lot of the Steven J. Cage Athletic and Recreation Center for the past several years, and have produced eaglets each year since 2013.
There is a second bald eagle nest, located on the school's Mountain Campus in an inaccessible, wild area that is not viewable to the public.
This year's eaglets, dubbed B10 and B11, hatched this week. B10 arrived on Monday, February 12, while B11 hatched late Tuesday night, February 13. Berry College specifically has chosen not to give their eagles names because they are wild creatures and they do not want to personalize them.
As for the parent eagles -- the male eagle is the smaller of the pair and has a sleek white head. The female eagle is larger and has a head of ruffled white feathers. When only one of the eagles is visible on the nest, the other is hunting and perching in nearby trees to watch for intruders.
The eagles eat fish, waterfowl and squirrel. With the nearby Oostanula River and Garden Lakes in the Rome area, hunting is plentiful for the eagles.
The mother eagle was attacked while in the nest on February 18, 2014, by a great horned owl. She did not appear to be injured. Video of the attack was shown nationwide as she defended her unhatched eggs. North Georgia and the Rome area are home to many great horned owls.
