The two mornings prior to Egg #3's arrival, Shadow met Jackie at the Lookout Snag tree with sweet morning chortles. He then flew off to the nest to give Jackie a break from incubating through the night. They have set up a very smooth routine! Shadow seems to always enjoy his Daddy duty, sometimes so much he waits as long as he can to get up off the eggs! Jackie finally gives him a soft feather nibble, a little bump or some sweet talk to tell him his time is up. He's such a great Dad!
They must have somehow anticipated another egg on the way as they both brought in more fluff deliveries this week. The nest is looking quite cozy now for their little trio of eggs. It was nice that Nature allowed Jackie to lay Egg #3 in the calm of last evening and just before the storm today. She's a trooper and very strong! She's weathered many storms, teaching us the meaning of patience and perseverance.
Jackie and Shadow are running a smooth well-organized household for their new "party of five" and their switcheroos have been totally in sync. This is super important now as they could have three little newly hatched chicks scurrying around the nest in just about a month or so!
Shadow has brought in some special fish gifts this week just for Jackie. These gifts are extra and not something the male normally does prior to chicks hatching. This is one reason why Shadow is such a perfect mate to Jackie and just another reason we all love him so much!
When there's a break in the weather and Shadow comes in to take over, this also allows Jackie a nice break to stretch her wings and get a bite to eat. If full, their crop (like an expandable to-go box) can hold enough food for a few days so no worries, Jackie's doing just fine. During inclement weather, eagles fly less and stay perched out of the elements. While incubating, we may also notice them laying very still like Jackie has been, which is to conserve energy.
Of course, the highlight of the last few days was the laying of the third egg last evening. Mating vocals were heard early Wednesday morning and they continued with regular stick and fluff deliveries throughout the day. Jackie prefers to stay in the nest and incubate overnight while Shadow will have his time during the day.
Shadow landed under the nest this morning and was seen later flying off. It's only a matter of time now when he will get to see their third egg. We are in some exciting times eagle family and so glad you are here to experience it with us!
🦅🎉🦅 Today, February 1st, we are also celebrating Jackie & Shadow's annual “Hatch Day!” Since neither are banded, we don't know their exact ages but their age was determined by plumage when they first came to the nest. Jackie is now 12 years and Shadow is 10 years old!
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