On February 15, 2026, something beautiful happened high in a tree at the NCTC Bald Eagle nest. Bella returned home, stepped carefully into the nest bowl she and Scout had worked so hard to build, and laid her very first egg of the season.
Early this morning on February 17, 2026, the Hays mom eagle was hard at work in her nest. She shifted sticks, tugged at branches, and carefully fluffed the soft lining beneath her feet. Every movement looked purposeful. This is the time of the season when small adjustments matter, when a sturdy pile of sticks slowly becomes something more important. Then, without warning, broad wings cut through the quiet. A wild turkey flew up and landed on a branch in the nest tree.
On February 16, 2026, as a powerful winter storm pushed toward Big Bear and the wind began to build, Jackie made a move that instantly changed the mood in the nest. She lowered herself slowly into the bowl, pressing flat and still in a posture eagle watchers know well. Pancaking. The timing could not have felt more dramatic.
On the evening of February 11, 2026, something wild happened at the Fort St. Vrain bald eagle nest. Pa, the male eagle, flew in carrying a prairie dog. But this was not an easy meal. The prairie dog was still alive, ready to fight, and tried to escape. What happened next felt like a movie.
For a brief moment, it looked possible. On February 14, 2026, a juvenile eagle circled back over the Big Bear nest tree, and Jackie saw it immediately. Just seconds earlier, she had finished eating a fish. Then she looked up — and everything about her posture changed.