3-4-2023 Serious Discussions…Plus A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
Jackie seems to have accepted that these eggs are not going to hatch. Yesterday, she made a midday visit to the nest for some leftover frozen lunch, but did not sit on the eggs all day.
As has happened in the past, Shadow seems more reluctant to let go. He sat a few times on the nest, but was in and out, like he couldn’t make up his mind. He left the eggs alone for a few hours…
…then apparently couldn’t handle leaving them by themselves all night. He returned last night after dark to incubate the eggs again. Shortly after he settled in, Jackie arrived. They had a loud, serious back and forth discussion. After what sounded like an intense argument, and then some begging from Jackie, Shadow got up and flew off the front porch.
Jackie acted a bit unsure about getting into the nest bowl, then finally moved in and sat on the eggs…but she only stayed put for 3 minutes. She got up and flew off the back porch toward Shadow on a nearby roost tree. As soon as she left the nest, Shadow started chortling from the roost tree, sounding upset. They argued back and forth again. Within a minute of them finishing that discussion, Shadow arrived back on the nest and took over sitting on the eggs for the night.
It seems that Jackie, as she has done in the past, was working to get Shadow to accept what was happening with the eggs. Since she only stayed a few minutes, she may have only come in to sit on the eggs so that Shadow would leave. When she left, Shadow’s loud and immediate reaction, then lots of intense chortling back and forth seemed again like an argument. Apparently, Shadow did not agree with her decision to leave the eggs. To fix it, he came to the nest immediately to sit on the eggs himself. He spent the whole night on the nest, leaving about 4:30 this morning. So, in spite of what Jackie may have wanted, he did what he needed to do.
Today, it seems that Jackie finally convinced him to accept what was happening—neither of them visited the nest or sat on the eggs all day.
From here, we will see what happens with the eggs. It is possible that a raven or other predator might get them. It is possible that they get buried into the nest if Jackie and Shadow start bringing sticks. It is possible that Fiona (the flying squirrel who visits the nest at night) will try to carry them away—she has tried in the past, but the eggs were way too big for her to pick up.
…we will also watch to see what happens with laying new eggs. It is possible that Jackie will lay another clutch of eggs. Bald eagles normally lay one clutch per year, but when something happens to the first eggs, they sometimes lay a second clutch. Jackie has done this in the past and has laid eggs as late as March. Jackie and Shadow were viewed mating since these original eggs were laid, so anything is possible. As always, they and mother nature get to determine what happens from here.
Thank you all for your patience and your continued curiosity and willingness to learn as we watch to see what they teach us next.
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT…Jackie and Shadow are about to become genuine Movie Stars! They and their nest are being featured in an upcoming episode of the TV show NCIS! The episode will air at 9 pm on Monday, March 13 on CBS. Be sure to check them out in their fun new roles.
Sandy
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