BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. — A pair of bald eagles is tending their nest with a pair of eggs again this year near Big Bear Lake in the mountains of southern California. Streaming video from the Friends of Big Bear Valley shows both the female eagle, named Jackie, returning to the nest on a snowy morning to take over nesting duties from the larger male named Shadow.
One egg was laid on January 22 and the second egg arrived three days later. Friends of Big Bear Valley say the chicks could begin hatching soon.
Last year, the pair also laid two eggs, but neither chick survived.
The nest is in a pine tree about 145 feet above the ground.
Snow and ice are making travel dicey on many of California's mountain highways as a very cold and windy storm moves through.
Many parts of the state experienced freezing temperatures early Wednesday and a widespread hard freeze is predicted for early Thursday.
Bald eagle facts
- Scientific name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus
- Average life span in the wild: 28 years
- Adult male length: About 3 feet
- Adult male wingspan: 6.6 feet
- Adult female length: About 6.5 feet
- Adult female wingspan: 8 feet
- Weight: 6.5 to 14 pounds
- Nests: About 5 feet wide, but some older nests can be twice that
- How long for eggs to hatch: A little more than a month
- Both males and females handle incubating eggs and feeding young
- Only eagle native solely to North America
- U.S. national bird since 1782
Eagle facts sources: National Geographic, Britannica