Concerned eyes on Jackie and Shadow’s 3 unhatched eagle eggs in Big Bear
Via tree-top cameras, an army of concerned wildlife lovers are watching three unhatched bald eagle eggs in a nest high atop a 14-story Jeffrey pine tree in Big Bear in the San Bernardino Mountains.
With her mate, Shadow, nearby, Jackie laid the eggs days apart in late January, with the expectation of them hatching about 35 days later, the typical incubation period.
Jackie delivered her first egg on Jan. 25, followed by a second on Jan. 28, and a third on Jan. 31, the Daily Press reported.
On Thursday, Sandy Steers, the executive director of the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley, delivered some disconcerting news.
Egg No. 2 and No. 3 are still within the possible hatching window, while egg No. 1 will probably not, said Steers, whose nonprofit monitors the family’s nest via two live webcams streamed to YouTube.
“We wish there was an obvious pip that we could report, but so far, there is not,” Steers said. “We do not know why or how. But that is nature.”
Remaining faithful
Jackie and Shadow have not given up on anything and continue their dedicated egg care, according to Steers.
Tuesday morning Shadow showed up from the back porch shortly after dawn for an early morning duty shift. Jackie left and arrived back with fluff about an hour later and Shadow gave egg-duty back to Jackie. Shadow left and came back with a fish, as Jackie made sure everyone knew the fish was hers.
“Shadow arrived early again yesterday morning and this time they had quite a long discussion about it before Jackie agreed to let him take over,” Steers said. “They had only another couple exchanges through the day, as weather clouds started rolling in. They both seemed to be a little jumpy and were off the eggs a couple times during shift changes.”
By Wednesday afternoon, the snow had started, so Jackie took over nest duty as per Jackie’s rules, Steers said.
In February, Jackie kept her eggs warm by braving an atmospheric river storm, tropical-storm-force winds, rain, and heavy snow.
‘Watching nature is hard’
Steers explained that sometimes watching nature is hard and our logical mind cannot understand.
“At the same time, our emotional mind wants to have something to hold onto, something to calm its confusion and its fears,” she added.
The nonprofit’s cameras have stopped zooming in on the eggs so often because it seemed to be causing more upset and concern than curiosity and calmness.
“If and when a pip happens, we do not have to know about it instantly. We will see it soon enough,” she said. “Watching nature builds our patience, our strength, our compassion and our resilience.”
Steers said as a biologist, watching human as well as animal behavior, she knows that sometimes when we worry, we tend to get upset with the people and things around us. Or to want to blame something because that’s easier than feeling what is happening inside, especially sadness.
“Please allow yourself to feel whatever you are feeling. When you feel it, it can dissolve,” Steers said. “In the meantime, we will watch what is happening in nature.”
Jackie and Shadow's family
January 2023: Jackie delivered the couple’s first egg of the year on Jan. 11. Her second egg came days later on Jan. 14.
March 2023: Jackie and Shadow abandoned the two eggs weeks after they were due to hatch in the family nest.
March 2022: Jackie and Shadow’s eaglet, Spirit, was born and was considered a miracle baby by many.
2020 and 2021: Jackie’s clutches of eggs were either eaten by ravens or didn’t hatch.
For more information on Jackie and Shadow, and Friends of Big Bear Valley, visit friendsofbigbearvalley.org.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Concerned eyes on Jackie and Shadow’s unhatched eagle eggs in Big Bear
