Atmospheric rivers brought heavy rains to California and dumped snow in higher elevations, but the crazy weather didn't stand in the way of two bald eagles expanding their family. The pair, Jackie and Shadow, call Big Bear their home and weathered the storm swimmingly, all while protecting their eggs. The beloved eagles are monitored by a nest camera operated by Friends of Big Bear Valley.
Jackie laid the first recorded egg of 2023 on Jan. 11. The second egg came only a few days later but wasn't captured on video. Unfortunately, the storm was so tumultuous that the video feed was disrupted. One minute there was one egg, and by the time the feed came back, Jackie was the proud protector of two.
Here's a clip from Jan. 15 that gives you a good idea of the nest's setup.
The second egg sits proudly next to the original one, where they will continue to be protected by Jackie. Interestingly enough, Jackie's two eggs from the 2022 season came within three days of one another, around similar times of day, too.
The live feed showed the storm continuing to pound Jackie and her eggs well into the night. At one point, the famed bald eagle and her nest are covered in a layer of snow. Thankfully, Jackie keeps the pair nice and warm underneath her feathers and safe from the snow.
Two eggs will likely be all Jackie lays, which is on par with the average West Coast eagle. Every now and then, an eagle will lay three, and very rarely will there be four. She will sit on the eggs for 35 days before they begin to hatch. But, she won't have to be there the entire time. Shadow and Jackie will take turns sitting on the eggs. Since Jackie is larger, she will sit on the eggs during the colder storms. The eggs will be rolled every hour to two hours during incubation to make sure they stay viable.
If all goes well, Big Bear Lake will have two new eaglets this spring!
