A wait for some bald eagles to hatch in California has turned into quite the spectacle.
On Feb. 29, the organization declared onInstagramthat it was time for pip watch, which meant time to see if any of the eggs would begin to hatch.
However, what many viewers didn’t expect to see the past week while waiting in anticipation for the eggs to hatch was the two birds fighting over who would keep the eggs warm in the nest.
“After her full nights on the eggs, Jackie sometimes calls for Shadow in the early dawn. Shadow instantly comes in to take over…but the past few days he has been more stubborn than ever about refusing to leave when Jackie returns,” the organization shared in a Sunday update posted onFacebook.
Female bald eagle Jackie and her partner Shadow photographed in California.Friends of Big Bear Valley/ Facebook
Friends of Big Bear Valley/ Facebook
“On Thursday when Shadow arrived with fluff, Jackie quickly let him take over,” the organization continued. “An hour later, she returned and announced her presence…and Shadow immediately argued.”
Friends of Big Bear Valley noted that the two birds began to fight as Jackie “bit Shadow on the beak” and after a while, he eventually gave in and she took over. From there, the organization joked that the female bald eagle “played hardball” as she refused to leave the eggs for several hours.
However, the two birds fought again the next day over who would keep the eggs safe with Jackie waiting “almost 10 minutes before Shadow would leave” after taking a Friday morning break.
View from the Eagle Watcher Cam in Big Bear Valley.Friends of Big Bear Valley/ Facebook
This continued for the next several days, and the birds’ antics even brought in more than 30,000 viewers, who tuned in to watch the live cam on the nest on Monday, according toKTLA.
Despite all the bickering between the two birds, the organization previously noted in a Feb. 13Facebook postthat it’s all out of love.
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“Jackie has been pretty patient and understanding of his love of incubating, so she usually gives him a little extra time on the eggs,” Friends of Big Bear Valley said. “When she thinks ‘okay that’s enough’, she gives a gentle love nibble or nudge, or a sweet beak kiss to soften him up a bit before he gets up and ready to leave. Then, of course, she moves in quickly on the eggs!”
However, the organization said the pair of birds also adhere to a set of rules, including that Jackie is the one who will mainly preside over the nest, especially during harsh weather. During a February storm, Jackie watched over the nest for a whopping 62 hours, according toCBS News.
source: people.com
