Sandy Steers knew heartbreak was possible, for her and the nearly 40,000 live camera viewers monitoring Big Bear bald eagles Jackie and Shadow.
There was rejoicing among fans as the lifelong bird pair welcomed three eggs, a rarity among bald eagles and a first for 12-year-old Jackie.
But now it appears that the trio of eggs is not viable. The executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, which operates the webcam, says she has always tried to maintain a practical point of view. After all, that's nature.
“That doesn't make it any easier, though,” he told the Times on Tuesday. “I feel very connected to Jackie and Shadow, so it's very sad for me. It makes my heart hurt.”
Pip's watch, when viewers watch for cracks in the eggshells as the chicks hatch, began on February 29. That was day 35 after the first egg was laid.
The steers were hoping that the 38th or 39th would be when piping could occur. But enough time has passed that it's clear that the eggs probably won't hatch.
Jackie and Shadow will continue to care for the nest, he said, until they start leaving it unattended for longer periods of time.
When asked about possible reasons why the eggs are not viable, she noted: “Actually, we are the tallest [Big Bear] nest that has an eagle camera. “So the altitude and the low percentage of oxygen could make a difference.”
There's also the fact that recent storms brought very cold temperatures. Jackie recently spent 62 hours straight in the nest in an attempt to keep the eggs, sometimes buried under snow, warm.
Humidity levels can also be a factor, Steers said: “Egg shells are porous, so everything that happens in the environment gets into the eggs.”
But “there are all kinds of reasons,” he said, “and unfortunately we can't know what they are.”
The webcam recorded its highest number of viewers this year. During pip watching, the number reached 37,000, according to Steers. Last year's peak peaked at 22,000. She attributes the added interest to Jackie's 62-hour vigil, as well as the rare clutch of three eggs.
Only about 50% of bald eagle eggs hatch. And the uncertain nature of parenthood for Jackie and Shadow has been evident over the years. Since the webcam was installed in 2015, only three chicks have left the nest, and that's normal, the biologist said.
“It's hard work being an eagle.”
Steers noted that Jackie and 10-year-old Shadow have many years ahead of them: “Eagles have been known to live in the wild for 39 years…so they are young,” he said, and there will likely be many more eggs. “Eagles do not stop laying eggs at any time before they die. They remain fertile and productive until the end.”
Viewers who have invested time and emotion into the saga of Jackie and Shadow can learn from them, Steers said.
He remembered seeing Shadow react when the couple's eggs failed to hatch the previous year and were captured by the crows. “He just stood there, watching,” she said. For a couple of days his demeanor changed and he seemed off. Then he recovered, she said, and showed signs of being his usual mischievous self.
The birds “are extremely resilient and strong. … I like to think they are teaching people to be resilient and take things as they come.”
