A female osprey was caught on camera Tuesday night determinedly shielding her egg-filled nest as a hailstorm raged around her.
The footage came from a live feed of the nest ― which is located in Longmont, Colorado ― published by Boulder County Parks and Open Space.
“The female osprey at the Fairgrounds was relentless in protecting her eggs through last night’s hailstorm,” wrote the county department in a Facebook post on Wednesday. “She was pounded by pea-sized hail and never left the nest.”
And the bird of prey’s efforts paid off since, as the department wrote, all the eggs made it through the storm.
“We hope to see chicks in a few weeks,” the post added.
Some commenters wondered why officials didn’t build a canopy or some kind of protective roof over the nest. But, as others pointed out, ospreys prefer to nest in open spaces.
Plus, the female osprey and her mate have been fine for years. The live camera has monitored the couple since 2011, Boulder County Parks and Open Space spokesperson Nik Brockman told KOAA.
That is unless you count their relationship problems.
“We observed a few times where a very different male or female showed up on the nest,” Brockman told the news outlet. “It kind of created some drama.”