A Snowy Changing of the Guard

Mom leaves the eggs ...

Our story thus far:  The female Bald Eagle has laid two eggs this season, on 2/16-17 and 2/20. Incubation takes approx. 5 weeks. You can view the nest on streaming video here. When incubating eggs, the adult Bald Eagles need to be on the nest almost all of the time, especially in cold weather. The insulation in the nest can keep the eggs warm temporarily. In this sequence, recorded on this snowy morning (March 5), the Duke Farms female calls to the male, leaves the eggs, and the male takes over. From the time Mom exposes the eggs to when Dad is incubating them, roughly 35 seconds elapses. These screen shots of the streaming video are date-stamped, so we know what is happening down to the second. (Click any thumbnail to enlarge.) We thought we'd post this sequence because the changing of the guard is easy to miss unless you watch the Eagle Cam constantly. If you look closely, you can see that the female is larger than the male. To read more about the Duke Farms eagle nest, click here. To read more about the Duke Farms eagle eggs, click here. Scroll down for more posts about the nesting Bald Eagles.