Proud parents: Bald eagles in West Virginia welcome newborn chick

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. (TND) — A pair of bald eagles in West Virginia has given birth to a baby eaglet, and the little one's first moments of life were caught on camera.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center's Eagle Cam, stationed high up in a tree innear Shepherdstown, has been observing the lives of the two eagles named Bella and Smitty.

The proud new parents welcomed their eaglet Sunday afternoon after two days of rainy weather.

The egg first appeared on camera on Feb. 15, and after that, the eagles started frequenting the nest more often to provide proper care for the baby. Bella and Smitty then went viral last week after the FWS posted a video of the two animals moving sticks around the nest and preparing the habitat for their offspring.

"This bald eagle family needs you to stop scrolling and watch as they perform their branch manager duties," the FWS said on Twitter.

The video currently has over 500,000 views.

Their journey to parenthood hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows though — officials said "drama" took place after it appeared another eagle was attempting to take over the nest.

Officials say the nest has been active since 2003, and the eagle cam first came on the scene in 2005. Eagles return for the winter season sometime around mid-January and lay eggs in early February.

The eagles are wild birds, and anything can happen in the wild," the FWS says on its site. "NCTC does not interfere or intervene, and allows nature to take its course. You'll see life and you might see death, but this is real nature in action!"

A second egg is expected to hatch sometime soon. You can observe the nest in real time by clicking here.