Bald eagles Jackie and Shadow have for years been the stars of a reality show set in a soaring pine-tree penthouse above Big Bear Lake.
Yet it came as an unexpected surprise this week when devoted viewers of the live webcam trained on the eagles’ nest watched as the longtime couple welcomed three eggs — believed to be a first for Jackie.
“#3!!!!!!!!!!!,” the Friends of Big Bear Valley posted in a Facebook update, “Jackie’s first full 3-egg clutch!”
And now, both new and longtime viewers can tune in as the eagles endeavor to keep their eggs warm from a wallop of wintry weather.
Late Thursday afternoon, video captured one of the pair sitting atop the clutch as the other landed on a nearby branch, the snow-covered nest swaying in the wind. The pair traded places, revealing the trio of eggs as they did so. In the background were snow-covered pines and the misty outline of the lake.
Jackie, believed to be about 12 years old, laid the latest egg Wednesday night in a nest that’s about 5 feet across and 5 feet deep. In a Facebook update, the Friends of Big Bear Valley said she laid “Egg #3 in the calm of last evening and just before the storm today. She’s a trooper.”
“Jackie and Shadow are running a smooth well-organized household,” the update noted. “Their switcheroos have been totally in sync. This is super important now as they could have three little newly hatched chicks scurrying around the nest in just about a month or so!”
As the sun set Thursday, one of the eagles kept lonely vigil amid swirling snow — occasional wind gusts ruffling feathers and branches alike.
It takes about 35 days for eagle eggs to incubate. About three months later, the eaglets “make their first unsteady flights,” according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A few days after that, they will “fledge,” or leave the nest. But they will remain in the vicinity for about six more weeks, as mom and dad provide food and help them hone their hunting skills.
The San Bernardino Mountains are home to Southern California’s largest wintering population of bald eagles, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Jackie and Shadow, however, are year-round Big Bear residents.
Bald eagle pairs may raise one or two chicks at a time, but three are rare, according to Fish and Wildlife officials. A juvenile bald eagle has less than a 50% chance of surviving its first year of life, according to the American Eagle Foundation.
Jackie and Shadow have lost eggs in the past that have been nonviable or eaten by ravens.
Friends and fans of the cam are always optimistic, however.
“I just saw that they had 3 eggs — so amazing!!” one fan wrote on Facebook.
Friends of Big Bear Valley installed the webcam almost a decade ago, and it remains active year-round. Asked in 2020 about the birds’ lasting popularity, Sandy Steers, the nonprofit’s biologist and executive director, told The Times: “I think people longed for something to cheer for.”
This story originally appeared on LA Times
