Bald eagle blanketed by ‘cozy’ snow layer while nesting in Minnesota storm, photos show

Snow blankets a sleeping female bald eagle brooding two eggs during a storm in Minnesota, photos show.

The bird was captured engulfed in snow on Thursday, Feb. 23, by the Minnesota DNR Nongame Wildlife Program’s EagleCam.

“Nature provides a cozy blanket for the expectant eagles,” the department said in a Facebook post.

Snow swept across Minnesota this week, the National Weather Service Twin Cities said.

Wildlife officials had expected seeing 17 to 24 inches of snow in the bird’s area from Feb. 21 to Feb. 23.

And by the looks of the snow-covered bird, the area got plenty of snow.

The female bald eagle has been laying eggs in the nest for four years, the agency said.

This year, the eagle laid its first egg on Feb. 15 after preparing the nest for weeks with its mate, the agency said.

Then the female bird laid a second egg three days later. The male eagle has brought food to the nest and helped incubate the eggs, the agency said.

“The mate is never far away, keeping a watchful eye over the nest for intruders or predators,” the agency said.

When a storm rolled in the area this week, the bald eagle was seen covered in snow, which actually helped keep the eggs insulated, the agency said.

Eventually the female bird shook it all off, a short video clip shows.

Alright… time to shovel. Even EagleCam has to dig out of this eventually pic.twitter.com/dZqZNxdQWc
— Greg Swan (@gregswan) February 23, 2023

Greg Swan posted the video clip on Twitter and wrote “Alright … time to shovel. Even EagleCam has to dig out of this eventually.”

Swan told McClatchy News over Twitter that he watches the EagleCam with his kids, and it has become an “annual highlight” for his family.

“Getting to see a bald eagle completely covered in snow — just like our home — was a joy this week,” he said.

Swan moved to the state nearly 20 years ago. He said he expected snow in the winter, but not as much as this year.

“This year’s snowfall has been intense! We have snow drifts as high as a car in the driveway right now,” he said.

But by Friday, the snow stopped, and a video shows the sun shining on the expecting bald eagle.