A pair of eagles and their eaglets have taken up residence along the GW Parkway, around Arlington’s Ft. Bennett Park northwest of Rosslyn.
Glenn Mai, a local resident who spotted the nest, said it is “viewable from Ft. Bennett Park” and “there are currently three chicks in the nest that can be seen with binoculars and/or a spotting scope.”
Another local spotted the nest late last month and has since posted several photos via Twitter.
#baldeagles #Arlington pic.twitter.com/2hnXTlHy0g
— Gideon Mountain Hunt (@terriermanUSA) April 5, 2018
#baldeagles #Arlington pic.twitter.com/kJxWPncKnE
— Gideon Mountain Hunt (@terriermanUSA) April 5, 2018
#baldeagles Arlington, Virginia pic.twitter.com/YwwCsTRrBf
— Gideon Mountain Hunt (@terriermanUSA) March 30, 2018
This isn’t the first bald eagle sighting in the county, though most of Arlington’s bald eagles aren’t cruising around Clarendon.
Bald eagles, according to Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology, build nests that are about five to six feet in diameter and two to four feet tall — making the nests the largest among birds. It can take up to three years for a pair of eagles to build a nest.
The Center for Conservation Biology keeps a map of eagle nests, as well as Chesapeake Bay herons, ospreys, and nightjars.
Photos courtesy of GM and MB/Flickr