Viral Bald Eagle Couple’s 3 Chicks ‘Unlikely’ to Hatch — but They’re Still ‘Taking Dedicated Care’ of the Eggs

Two bald eagles in California drew large crowds as they waited for their eggs to hatch. Now it seems unlikely that they ever will.

Thousands tuned in to a live YouTube camera operated by the conservation organization Friends of Big Bear Valley to follow Jackie, Shadow and their three eggs — and watch the avian pair fight. Since February 29, observers have been on “pip watch”, waiting for the three eggs to start hatching.

So far there have been no cracks on the shells.

On Monday, Sandy Steers, executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, wrote in a Facebook post that it was “unlikely” that the eggs would hatch at this point in the eagle’s journey.

“As of today, there were no confirmed seeds in any eggs,” she wrote. “This is later than Jackie’s eggs have hatched in the past, so it’s likely that they will hatch at this point…but as someone told me, miracles do happen.”

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While disappointing, the news “isn’t a matter of ‘giving up,'” Steers said. Instead, “It’s simply about taking what’s in front of us and moving forward…just like Jackie and Shadow do.”

Bald Eagles Jackie and Shadow.

Friends of Big Bear Valley/ Facebook

The executive added that “we can be sad” about the couple’s egg update, but noted that “Jackie and Shadow and their journey are still here.”

“They continue to do what they do best … be eagles and take care of what’s in front of them at all times,” she wrote. “At this point, they’re both taking care of their eggs, changing places, fighting over who’s who [sic] turn around and be gentle and gentle with the eggs and with each other.”

Speaking with Los Angeles Times, Steers said the pip watch started 35 days after Jackie laid her first egg, and she expected the pip watch to start three or four days later. Almost two weeks passed, leading her to conclude that the eggs were not viable.

While she tried to keep a practical, realistic point of view about the couple and their eggs, that doesn’t make the news “any easier,” she told the outlet on Tuesday.

“I feel very connected to Jackie and Shadow, so it’s very sad for me,” she said, adding that it “hurts my heart.”

In her Facebook post Monday, Steers said there was “no way of knowing” why the eggs didn’t hatch, but she offered a myriad of theories.

“It could be environmental, like temperature, humidity percentages, oxygen levels at high altitude, etc. It could be biological with something that was simply turned off at the time the eggs were created,” she wrote, adding that it was “highly unlikely yes either Jackie or Shadow are infertile because they already had 2 pairs of chicks together—2019. and 2022.”

Bald eagles Jackie and Shadow in their nest.

Friends of Big Bear Valley/ Facebook

As of Wednesday morning, there are still no bubbles in any of the three eggs. But as Steers points out, it’s still business as usual in the nest.

“Jackie and Shadow continue to take dedicated care of their eggs…and lovingly build their beautiful relationship in the process,” she said in a Facebook post Wednesday.

“I’m sorry I don’t have any different news about pip in eggs for those who breed every chance they get to hatch (including me!),” she added. “Thank you for joining me in enjoying the continuation of Jackie and Shadow’s saga of shenanigans in the meantime.”

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Speaking with Los Angeles Timesthe executive director pointed out that Jackie and Shadow are 10 and 12 years old, respectively, and that many fruitful years await them in the future.

“Eagles are known to live in the wild for 39 years… so they are young,” she told the news outlet. “Eagles don’t stop laying eggs before they die. They remain fertile and give birth to the end.”

This is also not the first time that Jackie and Shadow have faced this difficult situation. The pair, which she described as “extremely hardy and strong”, already had eggs that failed to hatch and some were stolen by ravens.

“I like to think they teach people resilience,” she added of them, “and to take things as they come.”

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Source: HIS Education