Watch: Bald eagle mother braves powerful atmospheric river to protect her eggs from snow, wind, rain
Winter is nesting season for the pair of bald eagles that chose Big Bear Valley, California to hatch their young. Unfortunately, mom and dad have to protect their eggs from the worst of the elements like this week's atmospheric river.
Watch: Bald eagle mama protects eggs from snow then dad tags in
This is a long video but worth the view. Watch mama bald eagle, Jackie protect her eggs from the snow. She gets coated and shakes off the flakes as inches of snow accumulate around her. Dad Shadow checks in but Jackie won't leave the nest. Hours later it finally stops snowing and Jackie stretches her wings. Shadow swoops in and keeps the eggs warm.
BIG BEAR VALLEY, Calif. – Bald eagle mother Jackie braved the atmospheric river and kept her eggs warm through tropical storm-force winds, relentless rain and heavy snow.
The Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam caught every trying moment for the eagle and her clutch. Once the snow stopped, she stretched her wings and let the father, Shadow, take a turn at incubating the eggs.
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When the atmospheric river stopped dumping snow on the nest, Jackie called out and Shadow returned for his turn to keep the eggs warm.
(Friends of Big Bear Valley / FOX Weather)
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"When there is bad weather, Jackie insists that she is the only one completely qualified to take care of the nest — and her larger size to cover the eggs makes that a logical choice," wrote Sandy Steers of the Friends of Big Bear Valley, nonprofit and sponsor of the eagle cam. "She is built to handle this…over 7000 waterproof feathers to keep her dry, plus downy feathers under that to keep her warm."
Eggs, then storm, then atmospheric river
The stormy ordeal started about two weeks ago when Jackie, named by the Friends, laid two eggs in beautiful weather. The Friends posted a video of her four-minute labor of egg number two a few days after egg one.
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Just before the first storm late last week, Jackie laid a third egg. Then the snow came, and Jackie hunkered down. Watch the video at the top. Every time mom is covered in snow, she just shakes it off but never leaves the nest.
The snow ceased the next afternoon, and the expecting mom stretched her wings, flew out for a lunch break and tagged in Shadow.
"This was the first time Shadow has ever seen 3 eggs in the nest. He kept looking back and forth at them as he stretched his legs around them…but his legs wouldn’t go around all of them when they were side-by-side," wrote Steers. "'It had worked the day before…why wasn’t it working now?’ Realizing that something was definitely different – or maybe after counting them – he rolled the eggs closer together and fit himself over the top."
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The couple lives in a Jeffrey pine tree, about 145 feet from the ground. Their Big Bear Valley nest is high in the San Bernardino Mountains, about 100 miles east of Los Angeles.
Atmospheric river blasts nest
The atmospheric river started blasting the family with wind, then rain. Listen to the sound of the gales rocking the nest. Jackie gave Shadow a chance to incubate after he brought the gift of a stick but chased him out when the gusts kicked up.
Stiff winds rock the eagle nest ahead of the atmospheric river
Jackie gives Shadow a chance to lay on the eggs and they have a few words. Watch and listen to the gusts ahead of the advancing atmospheric river rock and shake the nest. Jackie nudges Shadow out.
The rain started, and Jackie guarded her eggs. The snow fell, and Jackie just shook it off. At points, it was tough to make her out covered in white.
"During inclement weather, eagles fly less and stay perched out of the elements," Steers wrote. "While incubating, we may also notice them laying very still like Jackie has been, which is to conserve energy."
Mama Jackie stayed put for 35 hours straight. Eagles have crops to store food and can go for well over a day without eating. The internal storage system drops food into her stomach when needed. The skies cleared, and she took a break, according to the Friends.
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Image 1 of 8The wind and rain pick up. (Friends of Big Bear Valley)
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Image 2 of 8Jackie hunkers down, protecting her eggs. (Friends of Big Bear Valley)
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Image 3 of 8Night starts to fall. (Friends of Big Bear Valley)
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Image 4 of 8Rain turns to snow. (Friends of Big Bear Valley)
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Image 5 of 8It is tough to make out Jackie. (Friends of Big Bear Valley)
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Image 6 of 8She continually shakes off the snow, not giving up her post. (Friends of Big Bear Valley)
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Image 7 of 8Finally, the sun comes up. (Friends of Big Bear Valley)
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Image 8 of 8Once the snow stopped, Jackie finally takes a break. Look how deep the snow is in the nest. (Friends of Big Bear Valley)
"He was right in there and instantly began rolling the eggs with his beak, keeping them at just the right temperature with his body temperature and brood patch," Steers wrote. "They both develop a brood patch on their chest during nesting that allows them to scoot the eggs in close to their skin. With their body heat, they keep the eggs safe, warm and protected."
The Friends report that Feb. 29 starts "pip watch," when an eagle breaks out of its egg.
FOX Weather followed the expecting eagle parents, Jackie and Shadow, last winter through the series of atmospheric rivers. Unfortunately, their eggs never hatched. The Friends say that the eggs were either not fertilized or something stopped their development.