Bald eagle mom protects eggs for 62 hours during CA snowstorm. See photos
A devoted bald eagle mom has spent nearly 62 hours straight keeping her eggs warm despite being blanketed in snow in her Southern California nest.
“She is resilient beyond belief!!” Friends of Big Bear Valley executive director Sandy Steers said in a Feb. 6 Facebook post.
Beloved bald eagles Jackie and Shadow typically take turns incubating their three eggs.
But when a storm approached, Jackie “insists that she is the only one completely qualified to take care of the nest,” Steers wrote.
Jackie is larger than Shadow and has a bigger brood patch, which is used to keep the eggs warm, so she prefers to tend to the eggs during storms, Steers said.
This was evident in the live eagle camera when Jackie wouldn’t budge from the nest from the afternoon of Feb. 5 until the morning of Feb. 7, the nonprofit said. She spent 61 hours and 58 minutes on the nest before Shadow dropped in to take over incubating duties, according to the nonprofit.
“It’s her longest shift on record,” the group said in a recap page.
Jackie is seen on camera being cloaked in snow. At points, she will shake it off before nuzzling back into the nest.
But viewers shouldn’t worry because Steers said Jackie’s feathers keep the bird warm and dry.
Jackie laid her first egg Jan. 25, followed by her second egg three days later. She laid the third egg Feb. 1, McClatchy News previously reported.
Eagles lost two eggs in 2023
Last year, Jackie and Shadow weren’t so lucky. They abandoned their nest with two unhatched eggs, McClatchy News reported.
Jackie laid her first egg of 2023 on Jan. 11, then her second one three days later in the middle of a storm.
The two protected the eggs from predators, cold weather and snow. But the eggs never hatched and eventually became a snack for a hungry raven.
The bald eagles have been successful in the past, though. In 2022, one of their two eggs hatched and was named Spirit, according to the nonprofit.
The baby eagle was believed to be a female by the nonprofit and fledged that year.
Big Bear Lake is about 95 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
This story was originally published February 6, 2024 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Bald eagle mom protects eggs for 62 hours during CA snowstorm. See photos."
