Eyes from across the globe have been locked on a giant bird nest perched atop a pine tree in Big Bear for weeks but recent developments have some loyal fans of the eagle couple nicknamed Jackie and Shadow heartbroken.
Both eagles have become local celebrities thanks to a live camera installed outside their 6-foot wide nest in 2015 by biologist Sandy Steers, executive director of the Friends of Big Bear Valley, a nonprofit, environmental education organization.
"As of today, there has been no confirmed pips in any of the eggs," Sandy wrote on the Friends of Big Bear Valley Facebook page Monday. "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."
In January, Jackie laid three eggs and 35 days later, viewers from across the globe tuned in for "Pip Watch," which is named so for the tiny breaks known as "pips" an eaglet will create in the days ahead of its hatching.
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"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," Sandy continued in the Facebook post.
Sandy said it is also very unlikely that Jackie or Shadow are infertile since they had already 2 sets of chicks together--in 2019 and 2022.
Both Jackie and Shadow continue taking care of the eggs, switching places and arguing about whose turn it is on the nest. Sandy says they will continue watching and learning and enjoying Jackie and Shadow to see what happens next.
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Fans on the Facebook post were heartbroken by the news but many understood that it's a part of nature and were just grateful to have witnessed it thanks to the 24-hour live cam.
The bald eagles are amazing creatures, with Jackie and Shadow providing proof as the pair weather freezing snowstorms in their six-foot-wide nest, taking turns sitting on their precious brood 24 hours a day.
Each bird is protected by 7,000 or so feathers "knitted" together that keep them and their eggs warm, even when temperatures dip below freezing and the wind is blowing.
Watch the Big Bear Eagle Live Nest Camera below
Viewers can listen to and watch the antics of the delightful, rambunctious couple through the organization's YouTube and Facebook pages, where social media users can keep up with the constant comments posted by their ever-growing fan base.
