Big Bear Bald Eagles home of Jackie Shadow and 3 little ones... sad update.https://youtu.be/ccXfYrBPpSE?feature=sharedvia FOBBV
We are deeply saddened to report that one of Jackie and Shadow’s chicks did not make it through the winter storm that brought 2 feet of snow to the area. As snow melted, the shorter snow berm made that chick partially visible in the nest bowl.
The chick’s passing happened sometime after all three were observed together getting fed at 6 pm on 3/13. We have no way to know what happened or why the chick passed. We also do not know which chick it was because they were all very close in size.
We understand that this news is very hard to hear. Even when nature is difficult to watch, and sometimes even harder to understand, we must trust that it has its reasons. Please allow yourself to feel the sadness; please allow yourself to feel whatever you feel.
In the midst of the sadness, we want to honor the life of this chick for its courage in getting as far as it did and for the joy it brought to us in its short time here.
We are happy to report the other two chicks are doing well. Jackie fed them both early this morning. As they stood up and sometimes tripped over each other, they each got a few large bites. Jackie had trouble pulling the pieces apart small enough, but both chicks managed to get the giant bits into their tiny mouths.
The chicks got 9 feedings today as Jackie and Shadow continue to take great care of them. Shadow brought 3 fish and Jackie brought a coot to add to their dinner table. Jackie even left the chicks in the beautiful sun for a short time for them and the nest to dry out from the storm. Jackie and Shadow are always close by even when not on the nest.
Shadow also made a sweet visit at dusk to check on Jackie and the chicks before he headed off to roost.
The storm impacted our equipment as well. The microphone and IR light on the nest camera went out today. For now, we are feeding the sound from camera2 to the nest camera, and we plan to use the IR light on camera2 as a substitute light source. Please remember that the IR light on both cameras is completely invisible to both eagles and humans. Only the cameras can see it to create an image.
Thank you all for caring so much about Jackie and Shadow and their chicks.
Sandy
Courtesy of FOBBV https://www.friendsofbigbearvalley.org/
The opinions presented do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV).