Bald eagles lay second egg of season after ravens devour first, California group says

A pair of California bald eagles laid a second egg after tragically losing their first one to ravens, Friends of Big Bear Valley said.

Eagles known as Jackie and Shadow laid their first egg Wednesday after spending weeks building the perfect nest, McClatchy News reported.

A day later, Friends of Big Bear Valley reported the egg was preyed on by ravens while the mother was away from the nest.

“Shadow has not been seen at the nest since (Wednesday) morning,” the group said. “We do not know why he was not coming to help with the egg, but there is no cause for concern at this time.”

Luckily, the pair laid a new egg Saturday, Friends of Big Bear Valley said on Facebook. The eagles have been protecting the nest since.

“Shadow arrived shortly after Jackie laid her second egg (one egg in the nest currently),” the group said. “She made him wait for a while before the big reveal, and he sure was interested.”

The male eagle stayed in the nest for more than two hours to protect the egg, Friends of Big Bear Valley said.

He did not incubate the egg very much, but experts are not worried. It could mean more eggs are coming soon.

“Eagles do delay incubation, meaning they hold off on full incubation until all eggs are laid,” Friends of Big Bear Valley said. “This enables the eggs to hatch closer together, the chicks are closer in age and have a better chance at survival.”

Bald eagles were previously listed as an endangered species, and the number of nesting pairs has been monitored in the continental U.S., according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

In California, the best time to see bald eagles is from December to March because they are migrating, the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife reported.

“On some midwinter statewide surveys, more than 1,000 bald eagles have been counted in California,” Fish and Wildlife said. “The largest concentration of wintering eagles is found in the Klamath Basin, on the California-Oregon border.”

People interested in spotting Jackie and Shadow’s new egg can watch a livestream on YouTube.

This story was originally published January 11, 2021 at 10:24 AM with the headline "Bald eagles lay second egg of season after ravens devour first, California group says."