CALAIS — The proud Washington County parents of two superactive babies have been busy. No slaps on the back here, and Dad hasn’t had time to hand out cigars — he’s been fishing.

The twin fledglings were hatched about two weeks ago, and mom and pop American bald eagle have been busy trying to keep the hungry young raptors fed. Their persistent cheep-cheep and bobbing heads can be heard and seen from Route 1, one of Washington County’s busiest highways. Against a backdrop of exhaust-belching tractor-trailers and persistent speeding cars, the couple appear oblivious to the traffic just a few hundred feet away from their home.

This is the seventh year the high-flying pair has nested at a very special high-rise on Route 1. The majestic eagles regularly summer at the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, and for the past several years they have returned to the square platform constructed atop a utility pole they call home. Eagles usually do not nest near roads, so the man-made nesting platform at the refuge offers the public a unique opportunity to view the birds.

“The two chicks were hatched about 10 to 14 days ago,” said Lauri Munroe, outdoor recreation planner for the refuge.

No strained prunes or mashed carrots for this duo — they are in the mood for fresh fish. As Munroe watched the adult eagles through binoculars last week, the male returned with a juicy sucker gripped tightly in his razor-sharp talons. As he landed at the nest there was a frenzy of activity. He and his mate ripped his catch into smaller morsels and fed the pieces of raw fish to the small waiting beaks.

Munroe noted that the male eagle did most of the hunting, and feeding was a daylong activity. “He’ll give her [the female] breaks now and then, but mostly she stays with the chicks,” she said.

About eight years ago, refuge personnel built several nesting units for the local osprey population. They placed one of the fenced platforms atop a utility pole a few hundred feet from the intersection of Charlotte Road and Route 1, and a pair of osprey began to build a nest there.

A pair of eagles that in the past had nested in a dead tree on Magurrewock Marsh began to circle the platform. Since eagles are larger and more aggressive raptors, the osprey abandoned the site.

Alert refuge personnel recognized the predicament of the smaller birds and built the osprey another nesting platform on Charlotte Road. The two bird families have lived side by side since then.

The eagles raised eight young during their first four years at the nest. One of those years, triplets put a strain on the nest as adults and young tried to coexist in the nest that is small by eagle standards. This year marks the arrival of eaglets nine and 10.

Two years ago, when the adult birds returned to the platform, a brutally cold week in April disturbed their nesting pattern. Refuge personnel believe those eggs may have frozen.

Last year, the regal couple again returned and worked on the nest. The female was seen sitting, and in April a tiny head was spotted. But within days of the appearance of the head, the pair left the nest. Although they stayed in the area, they no longer were in a nesting mode. Refuge biologists were uncertain why last year’s chick died, but they were optimistic that the pair would be more successful this year.

The pair did not disappoint them. This year’s eaglets seem to be eating well, and by the second week in August, the young chicks will be mature enough to test their wings. They will look a lot different from their parents. The feathers on an American bald eagle under age 5 are all one dark-brown color. After that they acquire the distinctive white feathers on head and tail.

Again this year, bird lovers are expected to flock to the area to watch the young eagles. In the past, bird-watchers, armed with spotting scopes and binoculars, have come from as far away as Massachusetts to observe the nesting and feeding activities of the chicks.

This year, birders will be able to get off the busy highway where fast-traveling tractor-trailers often jar spotting scopes as they pass. There is a new observation platform across Route 1 from the nest.

The 20-by-20-foot, handicapped-accessible deck was built last summer by members of the Maine Conservation Corps, a state-run organization that provides summer jobs for youths throughout the state. Off-road parking also is available at the site.