Co-Parenting Big Bear Eagles Take Turns to Keep Eggs Warm – NBC Los Angeles

Jackie and Shadow, bald eagles that have been incubating eggs in Big Bear for 40 days, did not seem to be affected by the historic winter storm that dumped at least 45 inches of powder over the weekend.   

Friends of Big Bear Valley captured live footage on Monday morning that showed an eagle looking out at the snow-covered mountains while warming his egg. While Big Bear’s overnight temperatures have been dropping to below freezing, the birds are made to weather the cold temperatures.

“They each have over 7,000 water-proof feathers covering their body, so the snow they shake of does not even make them wet,” Friends of Big Bear Valley said in a Facebook post. “And under those feathers is a thick layer of down feathers that keep their body warm. It is like they are wearing a thick down jacket or wrapped in a waterproof comforter all the time.”

Tens of thousands of people watch the live cam to find out when the eggs will hatch. According to the non-profit, more than 15,000 people visited their YouTube channel last week in order to see nesting birds.

Jackie’s eggs hatched at around 38 to 39 days in the past, but Friends of Big Bear Valley said “external conditions” like temperatures and weather patterns could influence the timing.

Earlier images from the weekend caught a moment of the “shift change” when the co-parenting birds were taking turns to take over the nest duty. Jackie and Shadow were seen making parenting tradeoffs in order to keep the eggs covered and protected from the harsh weather.