Bald eagle live cam team shares what's next for the 3 eaglets
'I was optimistic, and I was feeling really good, like, 'this is going to be the time.' But I kept tempering it because it's been so hard the last two years that I didn't allow myself to get too excited,' says Steers.
Under the watch of a 24/7 livestreamed camera mounted above Jackie and Shadow's nest in Southern California's San Bernardino mountains, the first two eggs hatched on March 3 and March 4. The third egg hung in there a little longer, hatching on March 8.
In the days since, thousands of people around the world have watched as the trio learns to eat, work out their wings, and projectile poop–sometimes on each other. In some ways, the event was a complete reversal for those who watched as three eggs failed to hatch last year. Statistically, only 50 percent of bald eagle eggs successfully hatch and 70 percent survive their first year, according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
Now that they are out in the world, they will still face some challenges. According to Steers, weather is their biggest threat. Eaglets are born without their waterproof feathers and all of the down layers that keep warm air in and cold air out. The crucial waterproof feathers usually come in about six weeks after hatching and snowstorms are still forecast for the area.
'I know people are worried about the snow coming this week. It's actually better that it comes now, while the chicks are small, because they can all fit under Jackie and under Shadow and they can keep them dry,' says Steers. 'The challenge comes when they get bigger and they can't fit under but they don't have their waterproof feathers completely.'
Winged predators in the area are also a threat. In 2023, Jackie and Shadow's eggs were eaten by ravens, and the pair has been observed vocalizing and chasing ravens away from their nest and its eaglets.
According to Steers, one thing that is not an issue is food. Big Bear Lake has rainbow trout, bass, bluegill sunfish, blue catfish, common carp, and more for the birds to eat. However, food in general does cause some sibling rivalry among the eaglets. The dominant chicks tend to eat first, while the smaller chicks wait around and find some creative ways to eat like tandem feeding and waiting for the dominant chicks to be too full to move around much.
'We've seen them already bonking each other like that. Although at this age, they're pretty harmless. That rivalry kind of calms down once it's been shown that there's plenty of food and they're going to get fed,' says Steers.
Jackie and particularly Shadow are also highly skilled in retrieving fish to bring back up to the nest from the lake.
[ Related: Jackie and Shadow's third eaglet has landed. ]
'Shadow actually has the record for fastest catch on the lake, and the fishermen laugh about it,' says Steers. 'He left the nest, flew the quarter mile to the lake, and came back with a fish in one minute and a half.'
In the weeks to come, viewers can expect to see more eating, poop bursting out onto the nest, and wigersizing. The eaglets wingersize by flapping their wings up and down as a way to prepare to take to the sky when they are fully fledged. They should be ready to leave the nest in around 10 to 12 weeks. In that time, they will grow rapidly from about three inches up to three feet tall.
As they grow, the eaglets will also become more curious about the nest and world around them. Those of us watching will also have the opportunity to suggest names for the eagles. Viewers will be able to submit names through an online portal and then a local third grade class gets the honor of voting for the official names for the eaglets.
'I love that people are learning about nature that they're willing to just open up. We get to watch and see all the possibilities that are out there and be amazed, entertained, and curious,' says Steers. 'Whatever happens, we get to observe it. And sometimes we have feelings, sometimes they're sad. But all of it is nature, and we learn to connect.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
London, Kentucky tornado survivors piled into bathtubs, emerging to find everything gone
LONDON, Ky. – Families hunkered down in their bathrooms and emerged to find their homes gone when a deadly tornado barreled through the community of London, Kentucky, on Friday, leaving behind only foundations where houses once stood. Ida House and three other family members ran into the bathtub on Friday night when they heard the roar of the tornado. "It's bad. We lost everything except some in the house, not much," House told FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne. The Sunshine Hills subdivision, where many homes were destroyed, looks unrecognizable. Recovery Efforts Underway In Kentucky, Missouri As Tornado Outbreak Death Toll Continues To Rise House said neighbors were trapped under debris, and her grandson and uncle helped them out. Another neighboring family hunkered down in the shower, which is all that's left of their home. At least 17 deaths during the severe weather outbreak have been reported in Laurel County, including a local firefighter. Ten others suffered serious injuries. Roger and Karina Rivas got the Tornado Warning and ran into the small bathroom in their home and lay down on the floor. When the tornado passed, they were 15 feet away from where they started. Kentucky Firefighter Likely Died Shielding Wife From Catastrophic London Tornado: 'Public Servant At Heart' "We thought we had just fallen down, but we realized we were just about 10, 15 feet out," Roger Rivas said. "The house is gone." They were trying to hold onto their German Shepherd, Shadow, but she escaped during the tornado. Thankfully, the couple said they have seen her in the neighborhood. She's very scared and keeps running away after a traumatic event. "We didn't know. We thought she was dead," Roger Rivas said. Roger sustained a serious injury to his arm from debris while he was trying to protect his wife and their dog. "The house, anything that was in it, it really doesn't matter. We could care less. All this stuff is replaceable. We are not replaceable, it just … overwhelming to see how fragile it is and just feel so overwhelmed that we made it out," Roger Rivas said. Download The Free Fox Weather App Help began arriving almost immediately from around the state to Laurel County but helping hands were already next door and offering what they could. Neighbors who didn't suffer major damage opened their doors to those who lost everything. The Rivas said their neighbor brought them into her home and then drove them to the hospital. House said that despite the near-total loss of her home, she isn't going anywhere. "It's going to be a long time, but we'll get it," House said. "We're going to get everything back to normal, and we're going to stay right here. This is our neighborhood. And we're going to stay right here."Original article source: London, Kentucky tornado survivors piled into bathtubs, emerging to find everything gone
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
EXCLUSIVE: Logger reveals origins of Yellow Lake Fire
FRANCIS, Utah () — A logger has come forward to reveal the first hours of the Yellow Lake Fire, Utah's largest fire in 2024. The logger, who identified themself only as 'Jackie,' says their team was notified of a fire near a woodcutting site near Yellow Lake in the Uinta Mountains on the afternoon of Sept. 28, 2024. 'At the time, the fire wasn't that big… and there were seven or eight engines there from the forest service, the state, Wasatch County, and Kamas City,' Jackie told According to a Forest Service investigation report obtained by crews were dispatched to signs of smoke in the area of Duchesne Ridge around 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 28. DWR officers were the first to arrive on scene. Upon their arrival, the fire was reported to be just one acre in size. The next day, the to 150 acres. 'One of [us] went over and asked why they weren't fighting the fire… [we] were told that they were waiting for instructions on how to proceed,' Jackie said. According to Jackie, crew leadership on scene ordered an immediate fire drop when arriving on scene; however, the drop didn't come until days later. The report shows crews requested an aircraft to scout out the fire just an hour after arriving at the scene. However, scouting aircrafts didn't arrive until Sept. 29, while the first water drop wasn't carried out until Sept. 30. Forest thinning might lead to more wildfire danger, researchers say 'If I was in their shoes, I'm not going to go against my boss. If they are telling us to wait, then you wait,' Jackie said. In a statement to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said current wildfire management strategy requires all human-caused fires to be suppressed. 'There are instances when wildland fires are allowed to burn under specific conditions,' the statement reads. These instances are limited to certain 'naturally ignited fires' that may be managed to achieve ecological benefits. The investigation report contains communications between fire officials which indicate crews were instructed to suppress, despite the blaze being located in a designated burn area. Investigators determined the 33,000 acre-fire was caused by logging equipment. The report details a potential $16,000 fine for the logging company. Investigators found evidence of fluid leaks from multiple pieces of equipment. Logging company fined $16K for 'Yellow Lake Fire' Jackie says equipment can sometimes cause sparks when metal tracks strike rocks underneath. However, the only person on site the morning before the fire broke out operated only a truck with rubber tires. 'No one on the crew smokes either,' Jackie said. According to Jackie, many loggers were working in the Yellow Lake area. However, is the company who holds the contract. South & Jones Timber Co. gave the following statement. 'South & Jones has been and is currently in communication with the Forest Service about the origins and response(s) to the fire. South & Jones has received an inquiry from the Forest Service requesting information on the expenses South & Jones incurred in fighting the fire shortly after the fire was discovered near a job site that South & Jones had not worked in several days. However, South & Jones would dispute any insinuation that its operations were the cause of the fire or any attempt by the Forest Service to levy a fine based on that false conclusion.' Jackie says one worker with South & Jones went up to the site the morning and reported seeing a mysterious man with a backpack and shorts passing through the site. 'Loggers do have to be careful of sabotage, just because it has happened in the past.' The investigation report also placed a 'suspicious' individual who passed through the site on the day the fire was discovered. The individual is reported to have 'avoided eye contact and wasn't friendly.' According to Jackie, the flames could have been put out. 'It didn't need to become that way. They were there. They were on site. They could have had it under control in under an hour.' Comic books worth $70k stolen from West Valley City comics store Utah sculptor creates statue of President Trump's 'raised fist' moment in Butler EXCLUSIVE: Logger reveals origins of Yellow Lake Fire 11-year-old in St. George raises money for aunt after being bullied at his lemonade stand Family remembers Elder Aleki Langi, who died while serving LDS mission Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
'Where is the third baby?' Concern grows over Jackie and Shadow's missing eaglet
Some potential sad news from the wild kingdom: the bald eagle couple Jackie and Shadow, who have become online stars, may have lost one of their three eaglets amid a snowstorm. Last week, viewers got to witness the arrival of three eaglets – the first eaglet chick emerging from its shell early Monday and the third chick on Saturday within their nest in Big Bear Valley in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California. This was big news for the community of fans following Jackie and Shadow, who have been stars on the Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam, set up in 2016 by the Friends of Big Bear Valley (FBBV). That's because the couple had lost eggs in 2023 and 2024. Blood moon eclipse: What did the eclipse look like from the moon's surface? See photos taken by lunar lander After several days of joy at the late arrival of the third chick, followers became concerned Friday morning when only two chicks were visible during a morning feeding. "I'm sitting here horrified, where is the third baby?" posted one viewer on Instagram. Many others posted comments on Instagram and in the chat channel on the YouTube page hosting the webcam. Still, the flock of followers is trying to remain hopeful. "Nothing has been confirmed and there is a big portion of the nest bowl area that is out of view of the camera due to the snow berm along the edge," Friends of Big Bear Valley Executive Director Sandy Steers told USA TODAY in an email. "So, we cannot see that area or know what is happening. Yes, it possible that the chick is just hidden in that out of view portion," Steers said. Snow covering the top of the nest makes it hard to see the nest's interior closest to the webcam. The nest, which is about 145 feet high in a Jeffrey Pine tree, could be seen gently swaying in the wind late Friday morning as Shadow rested protecting the chicks from the cold. Steers suggested fans keep the faith. "We will remember to handle things the way Jackie and Shadow do, one moment at a time and moving forward with whatever shows up in each moment," she said. Follow Mike Snider on Threads, Bluesky and X: mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider. What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bald eagle cam: Concern over Jackie and Shadow's missing third eaglet
