It Was a Snowy Morning in Big Bear Valley! How Did Bald Eagle Mom Jackie Keep Her Babies Warm?
It was a snowy morning in Big Bear Valley in California’s San Bernardino Mountains, and 145 feet up in a Jeffrey pine tree, the nest belonging bald eagles Jackie and Shadow got a fresh, if temporary, coat.
We caught some sweet moments on the live nest cam maintained by the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley. At first, the three young chicks were nowhere to be seen beneath Jackie, who was on duty. Then as the mama bird rose briefly to check on them, we spotted one of the babies peering out. A bit later, we were treated to a snow-day feeding time.
For viewers following at home, inclement weather can cause worry. After all, those balls of fluff are so tiny: “I’m anxiously awaiting for this winter storm to pass. Hopefully this is it for the snow storms!” wrote one viewer on FOBBV’s live YouTube chat.
Friends of Big Bear Valley diligently keeps the public informed on such matters via daily nest cam recaps posted on its Facebook, @FOBBV, and Instagram, @fobbv.official, as well as through their live chat moderators on YouTube.
Over at Country Living, we also reached out to one of our go-to wildlife experts, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, wildlife ecologist and co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, to get her take.
How do Jackie and Shadow keep the eaglets warm during inclement weather?
Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant answers: “As we witnessed last year, Jackie and Shadow are no strangers to storms. We saw Jackie incubate her eggs for a record 62 hours during a heavy snowstorm in 2024, which is a testament to her determination and resiliency to keep her babies protected. While viewers watching may be concerned, it’s important to know that bald eagles are built for cold climates, which allows them to adapt to extreme elements, including rain and snowstorms.
“Adult bald eagles have over 7,000 feathers that are highly water-resistant, and a high body temperature (104-106 degrees Fahrenheit). These key factors contribute to their ability to protect their young, by using their brood patch for warmth and their water-resistant wings as a shield to insulate the space beneath them. Eagles will use their bodies in combination with strategic positioning in the nest to block wind, rain and snowfall, ensuring that the eaglets stay dry and protected.
“During heavy periods of rain or snow, parents will keep the eaglets tucked under their body for extended periods, only allowing short feeding breaks when necessary, as their eaglets do not have their water-resistant feathers yet and cannot regulate their own body temperature.
“As Jackie and Shadow’s eaglets continue to grow, it will become a bit more challenging for Jackie and Shadow to keep them protected from the elements. As they approach that 3–4-week mark, both eaglets may not fit entirely under the parent’s body—so Jackie and Shadow might be seen standing over the eaglets, shielding them with their wings as best they can until they become stronger and develop their water-resistant feathers at around 6 weeks.
“There’s always a chance that stochastic events (an ecological term that means random or unpredictable events), might create conditions that make it impossible for newborn chicks to survive, like an extreme snowstorm. While this would impact the survival chances for the chicks, it would not be because Jackie and Shadow weren’t equipped to protect them, but because life in the wild is extreme and this particular period of time is the riskiest for the chicks, no matter what the weather brings.”
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