Following a recent increase in activity at a bald eagle nest site on the northwest side of Big Bear Lake, the U.S. Forest Service announced the annual closure of the area to protect the raptors made famous by a live video feed.
A camera run by Friends of Big Bear Valley has caught the couple, named Jackie and Shadow, rearranging sticks intermittently for a few months.
According to a Dec. 1 Facebook post by the group, activity escalated.
First there was rainbow trout for lunch, then “later in the afternoon, we had a bit of a surprise … They both flew in, landed on the old snag tree behind the nest and had a moment … yes, they mated on camera.”
Two days later federal officials announced the Fawnskin-area closures of the Grout Bay Picnic Area, Grays Peak Trail, and Big Bear Yellow Post Site No. 1.
FAWNSKIN, CA—The annual bald eagle nesting and habitat closure is now in effect on the northwest end of Big Bear Lake. Help us protect the eagles (and hopefully any offspring in the near future!) by staying out of the area.
Check out the closure map: https://t.co/bAcyCrfXrP pic.twitter.com/xQ6bb7VuuG
— San Bernardino National Forest (@SanBernardinoNF) December 3, 2021
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
“The closure helps protect the nesting site and maintain natural bald eagle behavior,” according to a Forest Service news release. “The species is sensitive to human interference and may abandon nesting activities, including eggs and offspring, if feeling threatened.”
Other bald eagles also use the area for roosting and foraging, according to the release.
An eagle nest cam was first installed in the area in 2015 to capture home life of a different pair, Ricky and Lucy. Jackie and a different partner successfully raised a chick in the nest in 2018, and in 2019 she and Shadow raised another chick.
Since then the pair has had a string of bad luck, with eggs that did not hatch, and a chick that was not able to break out of its shell.
The raptors have been popular. Viewers have checked in from as far away as the United Kingdom and Australia, and a 2021 post garnered 74,000 likes.
Despite their troubles, Shadow brought in the fist stick of this season on Oct. 15. Since then the couple made regular visits, then disappeared and came back.
In late September the Friends of Big Bear Valley installed a new nest camera in a slightly different position, and moved the old one farther away for a new wide-angle shot of the nest and surrounding area.
Eagle egg laying-season in this area begins in January.
The group is raising money to pay for the camera gear, maintenance and more with 2022 Jackie and Shadow calendars which are available at friendsofbigbearvalley.org.
The live nest cam feed is available at youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE.
Source: Orange County Register
Be First to Comment