The viral bald eagle of Big Bear Lake, California, has gained even more popularity after showing an amazing display of motherly instincts as thousands of fans watched via nature cam.
Jackie, a high-soaring resident of the snowy San Bernardino Mountains, shot to fame when nonprofit nature group Friends of Big Bear Valley installed a camera next to her nest. She and her devoted partner, Shadow, have 654,000 Facebook followers who love to see updates of the pair’s life and family.
Amazingly, the mama eagle set a new personal “record” for the longest period of time spent guarding her eggs, Friends of Big Bear Valley announced Wednesday:
In a heroic saga viewed live by wildlife fans around the world, Jackie spent an impressive 62 hours straight in her nest as harsh temperatures and heavy snow threatened her three precious eggs.
“Several times during this continuing snow storm, Jackie was completely covered over in snow!” the nonprofit wrote.
“In that dedication over the past 3 days, Jackie set a new record!! This is the longest time she has ever stayed on the nest incubating her eggs without a break!—61 hours 58 minutes!”
The nature organization went on to detail how Jackie and Shadow collaborated and took shifts to keep their offspring safe during the winter storms that hit the San Bernardino Mountains this week.
According to the nature cam, Jackie didn’t even eat in those two-and-a-half days she was guarding the nest from the weather.
“Nature and our amazing eagles know what they are doing, no matter how hard it might appear to us,” Friends of Big Bear Valley wrote to its followers. “Thank you all for your curiosity and your amazing willingness to watch and learn.”
The post had garnered more than 218,000 views as of Saturday afternoon.
In an update to Facebook, the organization described Jackie’s actions as using “her wings as a mombrella” and added that Shadow had brought her back some food so she could finally eat: