Rescue workers in California have recovered an injured bald eagle believed to be Jackie, a beloved female eagle who went missing for several days from her nest in Big Bear Lake. The advocacy group Friends of Big Bear Valley reported on Sunday that the bird was found after a fight with other eagles.
Rescue and identification
According to a Facebook post by Friends of Big Bear Valley, observers first spotted the eagle on the ground last Thursday. On Friday, they witnessed a “short ground altercation with two other subadult eagles.” The post noted, “Cell phone video confirmed that the adult was able to fend off the other eagles by turning over and using its talons, but was unable to fly far away.”
The injured eagle was rescued by San Dimas Raptor Rescue, a division of the Los Angeles County Parks Foundation. The group initially cautioned that it was not certain the rescued bird was Jackie, stating, “We do not know for sure who the eagle is and we do not have confirmation of its sex.” However, Friends of Big Bear Valley later told KTLA5 that they now believe the rescued eagle is indeed Jackie.
Jackie’s disappearance and impact on the nest
Jackie, a female eagle who with her partner Shadow has been a favorite on the Bear Lake bald eagle nest camera livestream, had not been seen on the group’s cameras for several days. Viewers have since watched Shadow standing alone at the nest guarding the couple’s young chicks, Sandy and Luna, who took their first flights only three weeks ago.
Video of the limping and bedraggled eagle in water was posted on Facebook by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, along with post-rescue images of it receiving medical care at an unidentified wildlife treatment facility.
Background of Jackie and Shadow
According to the group’s website, Jackie and Shadow took possession of the abandoned nest in 2016 and have laid eggs every year since. Most eggs have hatched successfully, but some succumbed to challenging conditions, including winter mountain snow. Sandy and Luna hatched in the first week of April and are old enough to leave the nest any day, as reported by Popular Science on July 16.
Conservation concerns
Friends of Big Bear Valley and other opponents have been fighting the construction of a luxury housing and marina development known as Moon Camp on the lake’s north shore. The proposed development is adjacent to the eagle habitat and less than a mile from the nest of Jackie and Shadow, the only full-time resident bald eagles in the area. The group stated on its website, “It is an ecological corridor and supports rare and endangered plants, flying squirrels, migrating birds and the waterfowl and fish that Jackie and Shadow need to raise their chicks.”
