The Eagle Has Landed

Several years ago, I started watching a pair of eagles in Big Bear Park in California on their live cam feed.

The eagles were named Jackie and Shadow. They had bad luck with their eggs the first year I watched, with no eggs hatching. Last year they had three chicks hatch out, but one died during a severe snowstorm. Those two chicks were named Sunny and Gizmo.

This year they raised two chicks, Sandy and Luna.

About the time the two young hatchlings were ready to begin their journey away from the nest, Jackie disappeared. Shadow kept feeding his young for a few days and then they disappeared from the camera view.

And someone found a sick eagle not far from the nest area. The Friends of Big Bear soon identified the eagle as Jackie, who was last seen on the cam on July 23. The eagle was taken to the Ojai Raptor Center for care.

Today, the Friends of Big Bear notified everyone via Facebook that Jackie had passed away:

The Ojai Raptor Center

Patient Update: Bald Eagle 26-519

It is with profound sadness that we share that Patient 26-519 passed away in the early hours of this morning, following more than three weeks of intensive medical care.

Over the past several days, her condition continued to deteriorate despite intensive treatment and the combined efforts of our veterinary team and consulting specialists. She remained critically ill, receiving oxygen therapy, supportive treatment, and around-the-clock monitoring in our intensive care unit.

. . . Her remains have been transferred into the care of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).

We know this news will be deeply felt by the many thousands of people around the world who have followed her journey, hoped alongside us, prayed for her, and supported the people caring for her.

. . . We ask for patience and kindness as our staff process this loss. We are working closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and will provide a more comprehensive statement including additional information on her treatments and test results.

I admit I was expecting this, given the previous updates about Jackie's condition. Hopefully there will be a report as to what it was that actually caused the eagle we came to know as Jackie to pass away.

This cam has become world famous for these two eagles. They've had media coverage about their offspring and efforts to raise chicks. Jackie sat through something like a 42-hour snowstorm once, covering the eggs to ensure they stayed warm.

Raised as I was in a rural setting, and still living in one, I am aware of the circle and cycles of life. Some animals mate for life, others do not. I try not to become attached to the wildlife around me - squirrels, deer, raccoons, etc. because I know it will eventually make my heart hurt. It's hard to watch a bunny day after day only to one day see it devoured by a fox, after all.

This past year I continued to check in on Jackie and Shadow's world. They were fascinating to watch. I enjoyed learning how eagles sound - nothing like hawks and frankly some of the sounds we hear on TV that are supposed to be eagle screams actually aren't - and they could be incredibly careful with one another, and with their eggs. I personally found it amazing to watch the big feet of the eagles around those tiny eggs. How they kept from stepping on them is beyond me.

The commenters on Facebook are wondering now what will happen with Shadow. Will he grieve? Will he find another mate? Will some other eagle pair take over the nest? Nobody knows. I wonder how long the Friends of Big Bear will leave up a camera at a nest that is empty, if it is not claimed during the next cycle of brooding for eagles. 

School children have been watching this pair of eagles, too, and will learn a hard lesson about life when they come back to learn that Jackie and Shadow are no longer a pair, and that Jackie has perished. I hope the teachers have the proper things to say when they are asked.

Farewell to Jackie, the queen eagle of Big Bear, thought to be the first successful hatchling there after many years of no eagles in that area. She reigned for 14 years.

A capture from the cam of Jackie & Shadow
in better days.