Ravens strike again as beloved eagle parents struggle to protect eggs, CA group says
Ravens struck a California bald eagles’ nest again on Thursday.
Days after beloved eagles Jackie and Shadow lost their first egg of the season to ravens, a flock preyed on their second, Friends of Big Bear Valley said.
“We are very sad to report that egg #2 was preyed on by ravens this afternoon,” the group said on Facebook. “The eagles have clearly been focused on something else, we will never know what that may be.”
The eagles were giving the egg little incubation time, and experts suspected it was unlikely to hatch. The egg was the pair’s second of the season.
Less than a week ago, ravens preyed on their first egg while the mother was away from the nest, McClatchy News reported.
“Shadow has not been seen at the nest since (Wednesday) morning,” the group said last week. “We do not know why he was not coming to help with the egg, but there is no cause for concern at this time.”
After the loss of the second egg, Friends of Big Bear Valley said it is “not guaranteed” that the pair will lay more eggs this season.
“We are early in the breeding season so there is still a chance Jackie can lay a 2nd clutch in a month or two, though it is not guaranteed,” the group said. “We will continue to observe Jackie & Shadow to see what they have planned for the future.”
Jackie and Shadow first started working on a nest last month. The San Bernardino National Forest prepared for new bald eagles to come, and officials shut down hiking trails and picnic areas near the nest, McClatchy News reported.
“The closure helps protect the nesting site and maintain natural bald eagle behavior,” forest officials said. “The species is sensitive to human interference and may abandon nesting activities, including eggs and offspring, if feeling threatened.”
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.”
This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 5:32 PM with the headline "Ravens strike again as beloved eagle parents struggle to protect eggs, CA group says."