Over the past three weeks I've found myself oddly, but pleasantly, obsessed with the health and welfare of a pair of nesting bald eagles -- named Jackie (age 12) and Shadow (age 10) -- who reside in California's famous Big Bear Valley.
Right now, as I write this Sunday afternoon, the livestream of the two, hopefully soon proud parents of three eaglets, is playing on my secondary monitor. Jackie is dutifully nested atop the three eggs that she has lain -- one on Jan. 25, the second on Jan. 28 and the third on Jan. 31 -- while Shadow stands in the foreground of the camera shot, proudly surveying the surrounding valley.
As one father to another, that's at least what I think he's doing: Getting ready to shout to the world, "Look at our babies!" the first of which could be born as soon as Thursday, Feb. 29. On Leap Day!
Maybe he's even thinking, "Man, three eaglets ... how will we ever make it work?!?" ... Been there, Shadow, been there, my friend.
This is new behavior for me.
I know that animal cams are not new. Jackie and Shadow aren't forerunners in the world of nature live cams, and so this isn't about novelty. Despite my love for nature documentaries, I'd never been one to spend time on the animal cams out there, even famous owns including this famous eagle from my own home state.
But something holy has captured my imagination about Jackie and Shadow, and I can't entirely even explain it. I just know that when I'm tuning into their live stream, I feel the Creator's presence in real time.
In short, here's how it began ...
I read a lot of news, from a dozen regular sites most days. ... And let's be honest: There's a lot of depressing news right now. As one who has worked in the media for three-plus decades, the media knows its meal ticket: Bad news sells. ... It's just human nature.
So, a few years ago, during the pandemic, I started a new practice of intentionally looking for good news stories, trying to diversify my news consumption and also trying to stave off a falling confidence in my fellow humanity.
After all, much like when it comes to our food diet, we are the media that we consume. And when all you consume is dire stories of war, political strife and the widening gap of the haves and have nots ... well, it tends to have an impact on you emotionally and spiritually.
So now, every day I purposefully look for the Good News, also known as the gospel, when I'm consuming media. Not the cotton candy kind of good news that is about internet click bait, but substantial good news that reminds me that the Holy Spirit still is very much active in our world.
Enter Jackie and Shadow ...
On Feb. 8, during my morning news reading campaign, I ran across this fun little story from the Washington Post's Cathy Free: Fans root for bald eagles determined to shield eggs from California storm.
I'm telling you, the plight of Jackie and Shadow, who are protecting their precious three eggs, through all that nature is throwing at them, is more dramatic than even the best scripted stories humans can write.
On this day when the story was published, thousands of fans of Jackie and Shadow were rooting for them to get through a recent snowstorm that had pummeled California. And Free's story brought me to the center of their real-life plight: As I tuned into the livestream for the very first time, Jackie, who was covered in snow, doggedly sat atop the eggs in their nest, high in 155-foot pine tree in Southern California's San Bernardino Mountains.
I would learn in ensuing days, as I learned more about this amazing pair of eagles, that those of us tuning really had nothing to worry about. The Creator thankfully has gifted eagles with 7,000 waterproof feathers and even more down feathers under that. "Basically, they're each wearing a waterproof down jacket, so they're doing fine," Friends of Big Bear Valley Executive Director Sandy Steers, who also is a biologist, told the WaPo writer.
Friends of Big Bear Valley is the environmental group that set up the camera that now captures Jackie and Shadow way back in 2015.
But despite learning that the two adult birds were not in any imminent danger from the harsh conditions, the story still hooked me because more importantly is the concern over Jackie and Shadow's three eggs for which they are caring.
You see, Jackie has had a low rate of success with her eggs in past years, culminating last year when Jackie and Shadow abandoned two eggs when they didn't hatch. Over the years, only three of Jackie's 13 eggs she's lain have resulted in fledglings leaving the nest. And that is what has gripped me about this livestream: The fate of these three potential eaglets in a natural world that is really harsh to newborns.
The bald eagle story alone is important too, as some 60 years ago, there were only 417 nesting pairs of bald eagles known to exist. That is until the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service placed them on the Endangered Species List. Thanks to that proactive response, today, bald eagles are one of the list's most wild success stories, as in 2020 there were an estimated 316,700 eagles nesting in the Lower 48 states, according to Free's story.
So now, when I'm at work, there's Jackie and Shadow's livestream up on my secondary monitor. When I'm at home writing, it plays in the background as a tab I have open, but isn't visible. Essentially, when I'm computing, I'm watching Jackie and Shadow.
As I write this now, Jackie -- well, I assume it's Jackie! -- is sitting atop the eggs, staring off down the beautiful Big Bear Valley. Shadow was there in the nest with her, as I wrote much of the beginning of this column, but now's he's off. And, admittedly, if you tuned in right now to the livestream, you might wonder why I'm making a fuss about Jackie and Shadow. It's not much of a show much of the time, to be fair!
But, just tune in and give it time. The livestream audios continually is filled with the white noise of the winds that whip the top of a 155-foot-tall tree in the mountains, and occasionally you'll also hear a passing airplane or even sometimes traffic. And it becomes very hypnotic.
And, then, unexpectedly, you'll hear Jackie explode into a symphony of caw-caws as Shadow comes flapping back into the scene -- and there he is coming back into the scene, seemingly on cue!
When he lands, he screams a hello or weather report or maybe the night's menu back to Jackie, and they seem to share an everyday, average parental moment together. Just a little down time before, you know, three voraciously hungry eaglets will keep them busy around the clock. ... Well, I pray that's the outcome! I'm rooting hard core for those little eggs!
Why do I spend so much time staring at an eagle cam now? It's a fair question. ... And I'm not entirely sure, but here are some thoughts ...
Tune in yourself to see. ... If nothing else to see the beauty of these two majestic creatures, and secondarily the wonder of Big Bear Valley. What a natural treasure! Both the birds, and the valley are reason enough to tune in!
The white noise created from the wind, the bird noises and a few human-created sounds is very centering, helping me to focus on the important tasks at hand.
There is hope in Jackie and Shadow's story. The hope of nature continuing the circle of life, despite all of the natural elements against which these eagle parents must battle.
The devotion that Jackie and Shadow show not only to their young, but to each other. The birds have been together for six years now, and always return to this same nest every year to lay eggs and hopefully see them hatch. We all should be touched by their devotion and commitment, and they could teach us a thing or two.
I return because I know that the Holy Spirit is present in Jackie and Shadow's story. It reminds me that God is still active in this world, and certainly cares about more than just little ol' me and you. God is the original Creator, and we should be reminded often that the natural world came before we humans were created. And it'd be a humbling reminder to all of us to remember as such.
This Sunday, I am grateful to the Washington Post's Cathy Free for bringing to my attention Jackie and Shadow's story three weeks ago, and to the Friends of Big Bear Valley for setting up this livestream nine years ago to share this story with the world.
Please pray with me ....
God, the Creator of heaven and earth, please continue to watch over Jackie and Shadow in the coming days as their eggs prepare to hatch. May you be present in their nest and provide for all of the essentials they need to raise their three young ones. And thank you for the beauty of these two devoted eagle parents, as well as the stunning surrounding Big Bear Valley! Your work is beyond human words! ... Amen!
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