Fans worry as bald eagle pair Jackie and Shadow's eggs fail to hatch
Bald eagles in a nest in Big Bear, California, were working together to keep three eggs warm as another winter storm swept through on March 7.
Wildlife watchers keeping tabs on bald eagle couple Jackie and Shadow are worried about their three eggs, the first of which should have hatched by now but hasn't.
The start of "pip watch" for the three eggs being incubated by Jackie and Shadow in California's Big Bear Valley, in the San Bernardino National Forest about 75 miles east of Los Angeles, began late last month. Nest cameras installed by the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley in 2015 have allowed fans to watch their progress from all over the world.
Feb. 29 marked the 35th day since the first egg was laid, and eagle-eyed viewers have been watching for early signs of the first "pip," or tiny crack in the shell signaling the eaglet's attempt to break free, a process that can take a few days. Friends of Big Bear Valley said in an update on Facebook that Jackie and Shadow's previous eggs hatched after around 38 or 39 days of incubation.
That time has passed for their first egg, and nest-watchers are worried.
"Eggs 2 and 3 are still within the possible hatching window. Egg 1 is probably not," the organization said in a Facebook update on Thursday.
"We wish there was an obvious pip that we could report, but so far, there is not. We do not know why or how. But that is nature," the group said.
"We stopped zooming 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," the group said.
Bald eagles in a nest in Big Bear, California, were working together to keep three eggs warm as another winter storm swept through on March 7. (Credit: Friends of Big Bear Valley)
Jackie and Shadow, who take turns keeping their eggs warm, are experienced parents, but this was their first full clutch of three eggs. Last year, the pair's eggs didn't make it, but in 2022, their chick Spirit could be seen on the nest cam. In the two years prior, Jackie's eggs were either eaten by ravens or nonviable. In 2019, the lovebirds hatched Simba and Cookie. Cookie died soon after in a winter storm, but Simba survived and flew from the nest that July.
Despite the harsh realities of trying to hatch their eggs and rear their eaglets each season successfully, the eagle pair remains resolute. In an update on Sunday, March 10, Friends of Big Bear Valley detailed how the eagle couple take care of each other while nesting. "Whether you are a new or long-time viewer of Jackie and Shadow, we can all clearly see the genuine love and care this pair has for one another. Perhaps we can all take a page out of their love story and use it to draw us all together. No matter what the outcome of this chapter may be, we know from past years they will take it in stride, remain strong and resilient and move forward. Hopefully, we can accept this as a wonderful gift from Jackie and Shadow and view it as a teachable moment for all of us to do the same."
Reporting by TMX
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