High above Big Bear Valley, Easter weekend brought the kind of drama thousands of people were already watching live.
Two bald eagle chicks hatched in a pine tree about 145 feet up in Southern California’s San Bernardino National Forest, giving Jackie and Shadow’s online following a long-awaited moment of relief after a difficult breeding season.
The pair have become avian celebrities through a webcam that has livestreamed their lives since 2018. Over the holiday weekend, viewers tuned in to see the hatchings of the two eaglets.
“It’s a lot of relief, a lot of joy. A lot of laughing and happy tears,” said Jenny Voisard to The Guardian, the media manager for Friends of Big Bear Valley, the environmental education non-profit that manages the live stream.
“It’s been an up-and-down season for Jackie and Shadow and the people that love them.”
Earlier this year, Jackie and Shadow lost two eggs after ravens swooped into the nest and ate them, a blow for the birds and the people watching. Voisard said Jackie typically lays eggs in January, but she was able to lay a replacement clutch after the ravens took the first two.
The first chick hatched at about 9.30 pm on Saturday. The second arrived on Easter at about 8.30 am, Voisard said.
The hatchings were met with celebration online from a large audience that has helped turn the Big Bear nest into one of the internet’s most closely watched wildlife streams. The Los Angeles Times reports the feed is believed to be the most viewed of its kind on YouTube.
Voisard said much of that interest comes down to Jackie and Shadow themselves.
She said the pair, like all bald eagles, have distinctive personalities, and the livestream gives viewers a close look at their daily routines and the way they work together.
“People are able to really see the dynamics of being a bonded couple and raising chicks and that things don’t always go your way. And they are able to move forward in tough times and that seems to really help people,” she said to The Guardian.
“They provide a lot of joy and humor and hope, but also lessons on resilience and being able to move forward.”
Voisard also said the setting plays a part. The camera overlooks Big Bear Valley, which she described as one of the country’s most biologically diverse places. She said that matters especially for people who may not live close to nature or may not be able to leave their homes.
The community that follows Jackie and Shadow has also rallied around a local conservation effort linked to the nest. Friends of Big Bear Valley is fighting a proposed development near the eagles’ home.
Voisard said supporters have raised $1.6 million in less than a month, largely through small donations. The money will go toward a $10 million goal to buy the land by the end of July for permanent conservation.
While the fundraising continues, Jackie and Shadow have shifted into the intense routine of caring for two newly hatched chicks.
On Monday morning, the livestream showed the pair feeding the fuzzy grey eaglets as their tiny heads bobbed while they ate.
Voisard said the early weeks are focused on feeding and protection. The nest acts like a pantry, stocked with food and ready for quick meals, while the adult birds also guard the chicks from bad weather and intruders.
The young birds do not stay small for long. Voisard said eaglets mature quickly and usually fledge in 10 to 14 weeks.
“They look different in the evening than they do in the morning and one day is a lot for them,” Voisard said. “It is the time to get to enjoy all of that.”
