Watch: Baby bald eagle hatches at National Arboretum

WASHINGTON -- The first eaglet has arrived! The U.S. National Arboretum bald eagle cam captured the magical moment when the first of two eagle eggs hatched this morning.

The American Eagle Foundation said the egg could have hatched as early as March 15. Typically it takes anywhere from 12 to 48 hours for an eaglet to fully emerge from it's shell.

Camera operators suspected a small crack on the egg around 7:30 p.m. on March 16, and by 10 p.m. this crack was confirmed.

The two eggs were laid in February and it typically takes 35 days for the eggs to hatch. In D.C., eaglet watch is in full swing and many have used the hashtag #DCeaglecam to tweet updates on the hatching process.

The parents, named 'Mr. President' and 'First Lady,' have been incubating the eggs in a nest on the grounds of the National Arboretum. This is the first Bald Eagle pair to nest in this location since 1947.