This amazing story shows how mothers’ love lasts even in the worst situations. A bald eagle in Shepherdstown, West Virginia named Bella, and her mate, Smitty returns to their nest 100 feet up in a large sycamore tree near the Potomac River every year since 2011 to raise their little ones.
She is proving just how far moms will go to keep their babies safe. Even being buried up to her head in the snow won’t stop this eagle mom, known as Bella, from keeping her eggs warm. Bella and her mate, Smitty, have returned to their nest 100 feet up in a large sycamore tree near the Potomac River every year since 2011 to raise their chicks.
“The eagles are amazingly good parents,” Randy Robinson, an instructional systems specialist for the National Conservation Training Center, said on SOCIAL MEDIA. “They will sit on the eggs night and day, 24/7.”
The female eagle can be seen sitting on the nest 80percent of the time, while the male typically does the hunting and fishing. When they lay their eggs, they have to endure all kinds of difficult conditions. From snow and hail to sleet and freezing rain. Even when a severe snowstorm rolls though the mama eagle doesn’t budge.
The eagles’ thick down feathers help them survive the cold temperatures, while their sharp beaks and talons allow them to fight off anyone who threatens the nest.
According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, eagles stay warm by eating and fluffing their feathers. They keep their eggs toasty with a “brooding patch.” Naturalist Jack Hubley tells LancasterOnline that there’s no need to worry about the eagle getting too cold. The feathers provide insulation.
“They raise and lower their feathers, increasing and lowering their body temperature.”