On March 14, many of the thousands of people around the world watching Jackie, Shadow and their chicks noticed that only two eaglets were feeding. The volunteers monitoring the camera posted later in the day that they thought they had spotted the third chick’s remains to the right of the nest bowl, hidden by the snow overhanging the nest.
On March 15, the Friends of Big Bear Valley posted the following on the recap they share each day:
We are sad to let everyone know that one of Jackie and Shadow’s chicks did not make it through the severe winter storm that brought over two feet of snow to the area. The chick’s passing happened sometime after all three were observed together, getting fed at 6:00 p.m. on March 13.
We do not know what happened or why the chick passed. We do not know which chick it was because they were very close in size.
We understand completely how hard this is to hear. Please allow yourself to grieve. Please honor the chick for its courage in getting as far as it did and doing whatever it came to do.
As the two remaining chicks get bigger and older, parents Jackie and Shadow are leaving them alone in the nest for minutes at a time. One parent is often observed by the volunteers perching on a nearby snag, keeping an eye on the eaglets.
0 Comments