Call him Shadow, warrior dad.
The Big Bear bald eagle on Monday proved his parenting prowess by executing a perfect “wing slap” as a raven swooped in — effectively placing a 6-foot-wide lid over the nest holding his and partner Jackie’s precious three eggs.
It’s a smooth maneuver. And biologist Sandy Steers told The Times on Wednesday that it’s one the pair will use when faced with ravens — one of the biggest threats to their young. A nest of the predators is nearby, she said, and they can be aggressive.
“Jackie and Shadow are always on guard for ravens,” said Steers, the longtime executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, which operates the 24-hour webcam that records the daily drama of the famed feathered couple.
But the pair are alert to anything they think might pose a danger. Even Fiona and Fast Freddy.
Steers said those are the nicknames for a pair of flying squirrels whom they believe to be neighbors of the eagles in the soaring Jeffrey pine that holds their 5-foot-wide aerie.
“They are not a danger,” Steers said of the squirrels, “but any intruder … anything Jackie hears, she will wake up and do that wing slap.”
She noted one exception caught on video (see below) when one of the squirrels caught Jackie sleeping and hopscotched across her back, ruffling the eagle’s feathers.
Fiona the flying squirrel gave Big Bear bald eagle Jackie a start last month, according to the Friends of Big Bear Valley.
As the pair guard their eggs, thousands of fans remain glued to the feed, wondering when the trio might hatch. Having three eggs in a clutch is a rarity for eagles, and the feat has been widely celebrated.
But prime pipping time is waning. Pipping is when a chick will begin pecking its way out of the egg. Pip watch for the trio of eggs began Feb. 29, the 35th day after the first was laid. Steers told The Times that, with Jackie’s previous clutches, “usually it’s been Day 38 or 39 when hers have started pipping.” Wednesday is Day 41.
“A lot of people are getting concerned,” Steers said, “because we would have liked to have seen it by now.”
She is practical about the process, however, having monitored the pair since 2015, when the cameras were installed. About 50% of eagle eggs hatch.
“There’s still time left,” she said, “but there’s nothing we can do, so no sense worrying.”
This story originally appeared on LA Times
