Traffic bogging down web stream, but first Decorah eaglet is doing well

The newest member of Iowa's world famous family of eagles is doing well.

One of the eggs in Decorah-based Raptor Resource Project's eagles nest hatched on Saturday. Another egg is beginning to break open and the second of the three chicks will likely emerge late Saturday or early Sunday, officials expect.

"The first one has already fed three times," said Bob Anderson, director of the project. "Everything's perfect."

The elder eagles have been together since the winter of 2007-2008. Over the last three years, the couple has hatched seven eaglets.

The Raptor Resource Project streams live video of the nest to the web where net surfers from all over the world can log on and peak at the eagles. The birds' popularity has exploded in recent weeks, bursting to more than 10 million on Friday as word of the hatchings has spread.

News outlets in New York, Atlanta, Austin, and Chicago have all picked up the story. A Google News search for "Decorah eagles" turns up about 100 recent posts from dozens of media organizations.

Staffers in Decorah have been dealing with technology problems most of the day Saturday. The surge in traffic means access to the stream has been sketchy.

"It's so big that everbody's having problems. It's huge," Anderson said.

People have also turned out to see the nest -- about 80 feet up a tree near the Decorah Fish Hatchery -- in person. During a phone interview on Saturday afternoon, Anderson said there were at least ten people crowded around the tree.