New Kings River Eagle Cam Spotlights Margaret and Jack, California's Newest Bald Eagle Pair to Watch
Along the Kings River in Fresno County, in central California, a resident pair of bald eagles named Margaret and Jack have just gotten a live camera of their own. In video the Kings River Conservancy shared on Monday, November 9, the two eagles tidy their nest, nip playfully at each other's feathers and, every so often, stare straight into the camera. KTLA reported that the footage has drawn eagle fans across the country, and USA TODAY followed up on November 11 with a report on the new nest cam.
According to USA TODAY, Conservancy Executive Director Molly Schnur-Salimbene said on November 11 that the pair's exact ages are not known, but they are believed to have been nesting in the area for around a decade, have raised several successful clutches in the past, and their most recent offspring is still living nearby on the Kings River. Unlike eagle pairs that migrate with the seasons, Margaret and Jack stay on the river year-round. Their nest sits in a pine tree at a private spot downstream from Pine Flat Dam, along a river that runs about 133 miles through Kings Canyon National Park and the Sequoia and Sierra national forests.
The camera offers high-definition video with night vision and environmental audio. Organizers said it runs on a schedule, switching off at 11 p.m. PT and back on at 7 a.m. PT to preserve battery life, with a highlights reel playing in between; because the camera only recently became operational, the team is temporarily filling those hours with clips from other eagle nests. Viewers can watch on the Conservancy's website or through Explore.org.
The pair's rise comes as eagle-cam fans are shifting their attention. About 300 miles south in Big Bear Valley, Jackie, the female eagle watched for years, died this year of complications from avian influenza at age 14. Her mate Shadow, 12, has recently been spending time with Kaydee, a 4-year-old female. Friends of Big Bear Valley described the two perching side by side in a Facebook post on November 10. Many viewers who once followed the Big Bear nest are now turning to the new camera on the Kings River.
Source: USA TODAY
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 资料图：一对白头鹰在巢中（Wknight94摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经Wikimedia Commons），版面图已裁为16:9、两只鹰头部完整，非国王河巢穴直播画面。/ File photo: a pair of bald eagles in a nest (photo by Wknight94, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons), cropped to 16:9 with both eagles' heads fully in frame; not a still from the Kings River cam.
