Trio of eggs from bald eagles featured on viral web camera now 'unlikely to hatch'
Three eggs from the Big Bear, California bald eagle couple that so many have been watching 24/7 via live cam are unlikely to hatch. The pair mesmerized thousands as they shielded their three eggs from predators, wind, rain and snow.
Watch: Bald eagle mama protects eggs from snow then dad tags in
FILE: This is a long video but worth the view. Watch mama bald eagle Jackie protect her eggs from the snow. She gets coated and shakes off the flakes as inches of snow accumulate around her. Dad Shadow checks in but Jackie won't leave the nest. Hours later it finally stops snowing and Jackie stretches her wings. Shadow swoops in and keeps the eggs warm.
BIG BEAR, Calif. – The trio of eggs from viral live camera sensations Jackie and Shadow may not hatch, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley, who operate the camera.
The pair mesmerized thousands as they shielded their three eggs from predators, wind, rain and snow.
But Friends of Big Bear Valley says as of Monday, there were no confirmed pips in any of the eggs of the bald eagle couple living in the mountains outside of Los Angeles. The first of three eggs was supposed to hatch Feb. 29. Nearly two weeks later, none of the eggs have hatched.
Sandy Steers, Executive Director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, says it's probably unlikely for them to hatch at this point, but "miracles do happen."
WATCH: BALD EAGLE MOTHER BRAVES POWERFUL ATMOSPHERIC RIVER TO PROTECT HER EGGS FROM SNOW, WIND, RAIN
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"It is not a matter of ‘giving up’, it is simply a matter of taking what is in front of us and moving forward…just the way Jackie and Shadow do," Steers wrote online. "With the nest camera, we are all simply observers of their everyday journey. We can feel sad that things do not seem to be working out the way we had hoped or for the dissolving of expectations we had for what was to come."
PHOTO CAPTURES MOMENT ‘NINJA PRAIRIE DOG’ LUNGED AT BALD EAGLE
File: Bald eagles Shadow (left) and Jackie (right) take shifts to keep their two eggs warm during a winter storm in California. January 15, 2023.
(Friends of Big Bear Valley / FOX Weather)
There is no indication what caused the eggs not to hatch, but Steers believes it may be environmental, such as temperatures, humidity, and oxygen levels at high altitude. It could also be biological.
Jackie is 12-years-old and Shadow is 10-years-old. Both eagles protect the nest and take turns watching over the eggs.
Jackie and Shadow had two sets of chicks together in 2019 and 2022.