NORFOLK--Norfolk's bald eagles aren't about to let a little cold get in the way of their schedule.
The eagles at Norfolk Botanical Garden went ahead and laid the first egg of the season at 2:15 Sunday.
The egg lies in a snow-covered nest where the eagles will work to keep it warm during the winter weather.
Stephen Living with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries says the weather is a challenge that the garden's pair of eagles don't often face. But he says bald eagles as a species are well adapted for it.
The normal incubation period is about 35 to 38 days.
The current pair of eagles have nested in Norfolk for the past seven years, raising nine eaglets.
Normally bald eagles wait until all eggs are laid to start incubating any of them. But because of the rare snow storm the female has already started. Her body heat will melt the snow around the egg and keep it warm until hatching.
You can watch the nest live anytime on the WVEC.com Eagle Cam.
This is WVEC.com's fifth year hosting the Eagle Cam.
Associated Press also contributed to this story.
