Big Bear bald eagle couple welcome new egg
Bald eagle couple, Jackie and Shadow, have a new egg.
Jackie laid her egg at 3:58 p.m. on Wednesday. The popular Big Bear eagles have shown off their new arrival via the Big Bear Bald Eagle Nest Cam.
Spokesperson Sandy Steers with the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley, who operate the eagle nest cam, took to Facebook to announce the news.
“After sitting in the nest bowl for about 15 minutes this afternoon, Jackie stood up and started puffing her feathers out – the obvious sign that she was going into labor,” the Facebook post read.
Jackie had apparently felt the delivery approaching since it was her 12th visit to the nest on Wednesday, Steers said.
“After two days of huge storms, she seemed to be getting everything back in order,” Steers said. “Each time she visited, she rearranged a couple sticks, sometimes brought a stick or fluff with her (4 sticks and 1 bunch of fluff), sometimes laid down in the nest bowl for a short time…and then it all happened.”
Jackie made her usual tea kettle whistles as she pushed the egg out. She was in labor for about six minutes before giving birth.
“She rolled it a couple times before sitting, but she sat down only six or seven minutes after laying it,” Steers stated. “In past years, she usually stood for a much longer time before tucking in on the egg.”
Shadow was around the area and visited the nest with Jackie for a while on Wednesday morning, helping to rearrange sticks to prepare the nest for the new egg. Shadow was on one of the couple's favorite nearby perches during the egg-laying. From what he’s done in the past, he seems to know to stay close but not too close during this process.
On Wednesday night, the San Bernardino flying squirrel dubbed "Fiona," came out to check for any tidbits the eagles may have left for her. The webcam caught Fiona popping up on the edge of the nest, where she discovered that Jackie was home. The squirrel quickly left before the eagle saw her.
“But Jackie sensed something was there and sat up, on alert,” Steers said. “Jackie is now in full mama mode, caring for and protecting her new egg.”
Growing up
Although they have no natural predators, a young bald eagle still has less than a 50% chance of surviving its first year, according to the American Eagle Foundation.
For the first two weeks, Jackie or Shadow will take turns and constantly stay with their young, tearing food into small pieces and feeding the eaglet directly.
After three to six weeks, the eaglet will begin pecking at food dropped in the nest, according to the National Audubon Society. The eaglet could learn to fly at about 10 to 12 weeks.
At about 17 to 23 weeks old, eagles are considered self-sufficient and wander away from their nesting territory, according to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey.
The sex of the chick can only be determined by measurements and blood tests, and will likely remain unknown for the time being.
Miracle baby
Many considered the eagle couple’s first eaglet, Spirit, who was born in March 2022, a miracle baby.
In 2020 and 2021, Jackie’s clutches of eggs were either eaten by ravens or didn’t hatch.
Jackie’s and Shadow’s son, Cookie, died of apparent hypothermia during a storm on Memorial Day weekend 2019.
Simba was the couple’s last youth to successfully take flight and fledged in 2019.
In May 2022, Spirit climbed awkwardlyup to a branch jutting out from the eagle family’s 14-story Jeffrey pine tree. Spirit stood there for nearly a minute before spreading her wings and taking her first flight.
The live feed from the eagle's nest can be viewed on the FOBBV CAM YouTube channel.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Bald eagle couple from Big Bear have a new egg
