There may be plenty of enticing drama to watch on Netflix and other streaming channels, but a gripping drama happening in lofty treetops high above Big Bear Lake in California has kept me riveted to my computer screen watching a deeply heartwarming story provided courtesy of Mother Nature.
The stars of this show are Jackie and Shadow, two Internet famous bald eagles, whose nesting journey has captured more than one million followers on Facebook, 87,000 on Instagram, and more than 600,000 subscribers on their YouTube channel.
People from all over the world have flooded the Internet to watch live-stream cameras capturing this avian, power couple’s journey as nesting/hatching season commenced in January.
The two live-stream cameras, installed by the non-profit organization Friends of Big Bear Valley, sit at a height of 145 feet in a towering Jeffrey Pine with expansive views of the 15 mile long Big Bear Valley inside the San Bernardino National Forest, about 95 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Camera one is trained directly on the nest while camera two offers a wide angle view of the eagle habitat. The 24/7 camera activity, complete with audio, can be viewed now on You-Tube at Big Bear Bald Eagle Live Nest Cam 1 & 2 (FOBBV CAM). A second URL, FOBBV Live Recap & Observations, offers a daily summary of activity penned by conservationists and naturalists who lend their expertise to satisfy the insatiable appetite for details about the eagle family. An online chat function, supported by volunteer moderators, answers viewers’ questions.
Interest in the eagle family drama increased when it was revealed by the cameras that Jackie (mom) had laid a clutch of three eggs. She did this for the first time during the 2024 nesting season but none of those eggs were viable, which made this year’s successful hatching of a second set of triplets all the more sweet.
Jackie and Shadow’s viewer and follower numbers steadily increased over the 35 day incubation period as their story unfolded on national news outlets as well as features in publications ranging from National Geographic to USA Today.
In early March, fevered anticipation grew among the couple’s loyal followers as the time neared for the initial “pip,” a tiny hole or crack made by the chick inside indicating he or she is ready to emerge. According to the Big Bear non-profit, the chick starts “zippering its way out of the shell – the final stage of hatching poking its egg tooth against the shell and using its feet to spin it around and break a nearly straight line around the shell to crack it fully open.”
Online chat activity and real time viewer numbers indicated that hundreds of thousands of eager fans, like myself, were on vigilant watch the first week of March to witness the first fluffy, fuzzball emerge from its shell to peek out at the world. The online community rejoiced with the devoted eagle parents as they welcomed three downy balls of adorability, chick #1 on March 3, followed by chick #2 on March 4, and then chick #3 on March 8.
Joy quickly evolved to concern a few days later when a late winter storm on March 12 brought two feet of snow to the region. The 6’ wide x 6’ deep eagle nest became indistinguishable among snow laden branches except for the resolute eagle mother heroically sheltering her brood amidst high winds and pelting snow. Messages of concern flooded the chat room and social media sites as worldwide fans held their collective breath praying for the viability of the tiny newborn chicks in the most harsh of conditions.
Unfortunately, nature’s brutality claimed the life of one chick and the feelings of grief were palpable reading the online postings. Several elementary school teachers from around the US shared how they were using videos from the live streams as part of their teaching curriculum and lamented the need to share the news that one of the chicks perished in the powerful storm.
The process of officially naming the eaglets was accomplished with an online competition that served as a fundraiser for Friends of Big Bear Valley. The competition garnered a total of 54,000 submissions that, according to the non-profit, was pared to a list of 30 finalists randomly selected in a computer drawing. Those 30 names were then (by tradition) voted upon by students at Big Bear Elementary, who selected Sunny and Gizmo last week as the names for the baby eaglets.
Today, the live-stream cameras offer a kaleidoscope of sights and a cacophony of sounds that further endear viewers to this charming avian family. Amidst the chaos of world events, the universe feels in better balance each morning when I start the day with an online peek at the lovable chicks.
A typical morning viewing might offer the chance to see the eaglets stir and stretch against the coral pink glow of a West Coast dawn, and to hear the sweet notes of Jackie’s musical chortles with Sunny and Gizmo chiming in with their playful bonking.
As the sun rises, a normal day unfolds under the watchful eye of Jackie sitting on the front porch as Sunny and Gizmo renew their clumsy exploration of the nest with their oversized feet and wings throwing them off balance.
Against a picture perfect blue sky and sparkling, sun drenched lake, Shadow might be seen swooping onto a treetop perch with a still flopping fish or duck to satisfy the families meal time needs.
And some days, as Jackie feeds the babies, Shadow will stay busy chasing off some daring, predator ravens with a full talons-up fighting maneuver to protect his little ones, or, we might see him rearranging branches around the perimeter of the nest to serve as guardrails for the adventurous chicks.
Sunny and Gizmo are growing fast now, and I don’t want to miss any of their sweet, new experiences. I’ll continue checking my bookmarked sites each day with both curious anticipation and an immense heart of gratitude for the multitude of magical moments so flawlessly provided by God’s bountiful generosity of Mother Nature.
