Viral bald eagle parents' eggs "unlikely" to hatch – even as they continue taking turns keeping them warm
Jackie and Shadow, the bald eagle parents who have gone viral for taking turns keeping their eggs warm, may be facing a heartbreaking situation. The group monitoring the eagle parents says that despite the parents' efforts, it's "unlikely" that their eggs will hatch.
Conservation organization Friends of Big Bear Valley has been monitoring the eagles. Jackie, the 12-year-old mother, laid their three eggs at the end of January. A month later, the group launched a 24-hour live webcam for people to observe the eagle parents, and ever since, thousands of people have tuned in to watch as Jackie and her partner, 10-year-old Shadow, take turns keeping their future offspring warm.
But on Monday, the organization had a less-than-joyful update.
"There has been no confirmed pips in any of the eggs," the group said alongside a video of the nesting parents that has amassed 253,000 views. "This is later than Jackie's eggs have hatched in the past, so it is probably unlikely for them to hatch at this point."
Jackie and Shadow and their journey… As of today, there has been no confirmed pips in any of the eggs. This is later than Jackie’s eggs have hatched in the past, so it is probably unlikely for them to hatch at this point…but as someone pointed out to me, miracles do happen. It is not a matter of ‘giving up’, it is simply a matter of taking what is in front of us and moving forward…just the way Jackie and Shadow do. With the nest camera, we are all simply observers of their everyday journey. We can feel sad that things do not seem to be working out the way we had hoped or for the dissolving of expectations we had for what was to come. Jackie and Shadow and their journey are still here. They continue doing what they do best…being eagles and taking care of what they have in front of them in each moment. At this point, they are both caring for the eggs, switching places, arguing over who’s turn it is and being gentle and tender both with the eggs and with each other. As to why the eggs have not hatched, we have no way of knowing. It could be environmental, such as temperatures, humidity percentages, oxygen levels at high altitude, etc. It could be biological with something just being off at the time the eggs were created. It is very unlikely that either Jackie or Shadow are infertile since they have already had 2 sets of chicks together—in 2019 and 2022. So, we will continue watching and learning and enjoying Jackie and Shadow as we see what happens next… Saturday morning, when Jackie arrived after her break, Shadow argued for more time on the nest, as he usually does. Then he pretended to ignore her as Jackie started her sweet twerpling to convince him to get up. But suddenly, Jackie discovered some bits of left-over fish! She immediately switched her priority to cleaning those up before anyone else noticed they were there. Her change to ignoring that he was ignoring her seemed to throw Shadow into confusion…after a minute of not knowing what to do, he let Jackie have the nest. He must have rethought things as soon as he left. He returned twice in the next 8 minutes, each time with a different shaped stick, placing one on her tail and poking the other in her back. He seemed to be trying to show Jackie that he deserved more nest time. But, alas, neither time worked and he left looking disappointed. Never giving up, Shadow gave Jackie a couple hours on the nest, but this time came back with a bigger stick and landed it right across her back. Then, as he moved the stick to its proper location, he stepped right on Jackie’s back a few times…gently, but with sincerity about his desire to be back on nest duty. This time it worked. After some requisite crying about it, Jackie got up and flew off the front porch. As Shadow settled onto the eggs, Jackie could be heard in the distance, probably announcing that she’d be back soon. Thank you to each and every one of you for continuing to enjoy Jackie and Shadow and for your continued support and understanding even in the midst of all the emotional turmoil that nature can sometimes trigger inside us. We honor all of you in your individual journeys with what is happening. Sandy
Posted by Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam on Monday, March 11, 2024
But, the group said, "miracles do happen."
"It is not a matter of 'giving up,' it is simply a matter of taking what is in front of us and moving forward...just the way Jackie and Shadow do," the group said. "...At this point, they are both caring for the eggs, switching places, arguing over who's [sic] turn it is and being gentle and tender both with the eggs and with each other."
The group said it's not sure why the eggs have yet to hatch. Generally, it takes about 35 days for them to do so, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and with the first egg laid on Jan. 25, that would mean the eggs were expected to hatch around Feb. 29. The group said there is "no way of knowing" whether environmental factors – such as temperatures and humidity – biological, or "something just being off at the time the eggs were created." They don't believe it to be a fertility issue, as the pair already had two sets of chicks together in 2019 and 2022.
In their latest update on Wednesday, the group said that Jackie and Shadow "continue taking dedicated care of their eggs…and lovingly building their beautiful relationship in the process."
Aliza Chasan contributed to this report.