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More summertime visits…
This past week has been highlighted with some peaceful evening visits by Jackie and Shadow. After a good night's sleep in the Roost Tree, Shadow usually heads over to the Lookout Snag first, then Jackie follows, and they spend time together there before breakfast.
Besides being a spectacular observation tower, the Lookout Snag is also a favorite tree where the family all met together after Sunny and Gizmo fledged. The girls were learning to eat away from the nest, so Shadow, being the very wise father he is, turned that visit into a teachable moment by arriving with a fish for them to eat there on the branch. That was such a special memory!
Our spunky little night visitor, Fiona the flying squirrel, has been busy scavenging around for goodies once again. Her best pal, Fast Freddie, also made a quick appearance with her last night. We can only imagine how delighted she is to have access to her favorite poke-around spot again after such a busy eagle nesting season denied her access.
We had a special visitor bring some excitement on Saturday afternoon, a beautiful juvenile bald eagle arrived and spent time on the Simba Tree (the tree Simba fledged to in 2019). Believed to be a 2025 hatch due to its dark brown head and no sign yet of a first molt, this young juvenile spent about twenty minutes perched there checking out the area.
Soon after, it flew over to the top of the Roost Tree and settled in for the night on a branch that is on the opposite side of the tree trunk where Jackie and Shadow prefer to roost. As it was, our devoted pair decided to roost elsewhere for the night. The next morning, the juvie hopped over to Jackie's roost area and after a few stretches and some preening, it flew off for more exploring.
The last couple of days have been quiet and warm and the cameras have also captured many quaint feathered and furry visitors in the area. As we wait to see what the next week brings, we thank you all for following Jackie and Shadow. As always, we are delighted and excited to see them whenever they decide to stop by!
BKind22

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20 hours ago | [YT] | 1,766

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It is Volunteer Appreciation Week!



Quiet watchers, eyes so keen,
By the nest, unseen.



Between the branches, you observe and wait,
Each twig that falls, each chirp so slight.



You see it all, both day and night.
We thank you all, with pure delight.



This week we are giving a big HIP HIP HOORAY shout out to all our FOBBV Volunteers.



We absolutely could not do all the things we do without our wonderful volunteers who step up each and every day and donate thousands of hours to support our mission to protect and preserve all the special habitats and species in the beautiful Big Bear Valley. They are the superheroes behind the scenes who help us manage our Social Media pages to provide our community with important updates, answer questions and teach everyone tons of information about Jackie and Shadow and the nature that surrounds them.



One of the first volunteer opportunities we had back in 2019 was in the YouTube live chat as a moderator, where the dynamic environment created the need for observant and innovative folks. Later on, we created our private Facebook group which needed support from its own team of volunteers.



Our YouTube Team is responsible for documenting eagle activity and other events-of-interest happening on the nest. They record every little thing down in the Live Recap and Activity Log. With eagle eyes, they can spot the difference between a shadow and the Shadow sitting in a tree.



The YouTube team allows us to enable regular live chats where we answer all the calls and type quickly to answer questions at high speed. This year, we had a record of 100K concurrent viewers, 680K subscribers and up to 300 comments per minute in our YouTube chat. To manage this engagement and help our community learn more about the eagles and their behaviors, our team has set up and programmed a chatbot - Nightbot - that helps us answer questions and distribute information effectively. Our YouTube Team is also responsible for quizzes, chat games, weekly jigsaw puzzles and much more!



Live Recap:
docs.google.com/document/d/1gx7VP85Gwp1jhHRilStcZM…
Activity Log spreadsheet:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sbni8PkJchYeOsGqX0…
Glossary, Acronyms & Useful Links:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1T9QoUMuuntrqkt7Ra-…



Our Facebook Group Team manages our private Facebook group, which is a complimentary resource for our public Facebook page. The group allows members to create posts and share screen captures and videos taken from our live cameras, pictures from the Big Bear area, or other creations inspired by Jackie and Shadow.



Just like our YouTube channel, the group has grown dramatically this season from 163K to 373K members. We have truly amazing folks on our Facebook team who gladly give their time to approve posts (up to 300 per day!), create daily updates, answer questions and help our community stay connected to our eagle family. That’s why we are all here - to observe and learn about nature.



Facebook Group:
www.facebook.com/groups/fobbv



A huge THANK YOU for all of your work from FOBBV, Jackie, Shadow, Sunny, Gizmo, Fiona, Fast Freddie, all of Big Bear’s wildlife and Sandy!



YouTube Team:
Eaglelover
Just Amy
Christina
JoleZ
Kathy Chortles
Kelsie
Maria Gr
Silent Wings
Cali Condor (team lead)



Facebook Group Team:
Afton Marie
Debbie Shores
Faith Hochgurtel
Janelle Nguyen
Karen Tayman Pugh
Marianna Morreale
Nina Vestergaard
Sandy Woods
Stephanie Ross
Suzanne Kay
Cali Condor (team lead)



Picture collage by Amy.

1 month ago | [YT] | 3,972

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A welcome visit…


We had a visit from either Jackie or Shadow this afternoon to the Twin Pine. While they were there, a bird flew by. It could have been a juvenile eagle or a juvenile hawk.


Summer is also the time when we see more visitors come to the nest, land on the High Perch or on other popular trees in the habitat. This week, we've already had a gray squirrel, a juvenile Red Tail Hawk, a Cooper's Hawk and Western Bluebirds. Many awesome feathered wildlife visitors, as well as furry friends, come through on their travels so keep an eye out.


💥🦅Special Notice!! 💥🦅


Sandy Steers, Executive Director of FOBBV, will be giving an in-person talk about our eagles, this Saturday, July 12 at 3 pm at Chirp Nature Centers in Big Bear. The talk is part of a full day of events at Chirp and they have generously offered to give away 3 sets of 4 tickets to Jackie and Shadow fans, on a first call basis. If you will be in Big Bear this Saturday, you can call Chirp at 888-412-4477 to reserve your free ticket. They might go fast, so call soon… see you there!


BKind22

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1 month ago | [YT] | 2,838

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It’s time to be kind!



Several days ago we re-shared information about detrimental impacts of fireworks on eagles and nature. It’s information we have been collecting for years and have given presentations about.

The whole intent was simply to increase awareness with information that it seems many people do not have. It was encouraging to see so many nature loving folks coming together to raise awareness about the issue and offering help.



But we were DEEPLY SADDENED to discover that some people TOOK A DIFFERENT APPROACH!! Some have been being aggressive with agencies and their employees, cyber-bullying and even posting personal information of the event organizers on the internet, in some extremely misguided attempt to shame or intimidate them.

THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR IS HORRIFIC AND WE ABSOLUTELY CONDEMN IT. Especially doing it in the name of protecting the eagles or nature or the environment.



No matter what else is happening, people MUST be kind to each other. Change is made over time from people taking the time to speak softly, listen and understand each other; never does it come from aggressive or violent behavior.

We want to be explicitly clear that we do not condone disseminating personal information online or any other forms of harassment, either in person, by phone or through cyberbullying. It is completely unethical and can be considered illegal.



Anyone who engages in or expresses this behavior on our social media platforms will be banned immediately and permanently.


PLEASE help us spread the word for people to reign in their reactions, their behavior and their misconduct. Maintain human ethics and find beneficial and productive ways of expressing concerns.



We are observers and lovers of nature. We continue to honor and support nature as a place where Jackie, Shadow, Sunny and Gizmo and all things great and small will thrive. Human beings are part of nature, too, so please treat them with the same respect.


Sandy

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1 month ago | [YT] | 4,548

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Strong bond continues…


Jackie flew by and landed on the Twin Pine Monday afternoon. She and Shadow seem to have taken a liking to spending more time in this tree since Sunny and Gizmo also enjoyed hanging out there. While Jackie was there, Shadow delivered a stick to the nest, perhaps with the hope that either Jackie or one of the girls would arrive to help him clean up and rearrange some nest furniture.


Since no one showed up, Shadow was on his own. He managed to move a few sticks and aerate the bowl a bit before taking off to join Jackie. They had a little noisy visitor, a Steller's Jay, pop in on a nearby branch but it left quickly after some harmless squawking.


After a nice rest and some playful bonding time hopping around on the branches, Shadow headed to their favorite Roost Tree. Jackie followed a few minutes later and they spent the night there together.


Yesterday was also a quiet day around the habitat and the Roost Tree was empty last night. This morning, we observed a juvenile Red Tail Hawk in the basement of the nest tree. Sounding similar to a young eaglet, it has been quite vocal the past few days as it finds its way around the forest. Jackie spent over three hours on the Twin Pine this afternoon and Shadow joined her later then he delivered another stick to the nest.


It's not certain if Sunny and Gizmo are still in the area or if they have expanded their horizons and are off on their journeys away from the habitat. The last sightings of Sunny and Gizmo on the nest were on June 26, with Gizmo in the early afternoon and Sunny making a visit in the evening. Both were seen soaring together early in the morning on June 27.


As more time passes and the eaglets are not seen or heard, Jackie and Shadow’s bond remains strong and they may soon begin their summer vacation.


It's not uncommon to still see the girls, even after being absent for some weeks, so we remain hopeful. If they are nearby, they may stop by the nest or a familiar tree.


They may stay together or they may go on their own individual journeys. Either way, Jackie and Shadow have done a fantastic job with Sunny and Gizmo. We continue to wish them well on their adventures!


BKind22

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1 month ago | [YT] | 3,268

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Eagles and Fireworks…
Our eagles are still in the area--Shadow was on the nest yesterday afternoon and on Twin Pines with Jackie before that. One of the adults was spotted ¼ mile from the nest, followed by a raven and photographed by Mike Marzell, fishing charter captain. Friday morning, Sunny and Gizmo were circling together over the lake. Then one of them landed on the Twin Pines before heading out to their next destination. And Jackie and Shadow roosted together last night.





As Gizmo and Sunny venture out, still learning and being tracked and fed by Jackie and Shadow, the cameras will spot them less, but might get glimpses. In addition to the eagles there are also lots of juvenile hawks and other fledgling birds and junior wildlife all over the valley this time of year.





Sadly, Visit Big Bear and their agency and community partners are standing by their decision to blast off July 4 fireworks in Big Bear this Friday. We have tried speaking with them, all but begging, showing documented proof of Jackie and Shadow leaving the area for days, explaining how fireworks do major damage, not just to birds and wildlife, but to the lake with pollution, the ducks and their babies, the overall environment and humans breathing the air polluted by the event, as well as pets and PTSD humans.





Shadow and Jackie leaving at this time of training and growth for Sunny and Gizmo could be especially devastating to the juveniles’ long and short-term development and chances of survival. Eagles and especially juveniles have very poor night vision and being startled into flight at night is very dangerous.




We created a presentation about all of this, and gave it to the Visit Big Bear directors in 2023.
www.friendsofbigbearvalley.org/wp-content/uploads/…






VBB has a huge opportunity to be the heroes of the world for the eagles and to lead the way of truly caring for nature, but they have chosen a different path. They have made a few changes over the years, but as an organization, they claim in their PR and website to be stewards of the environment.





The dictionary says ‘Stewardship’ is ‘the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care.’ It doesn’t mention anything about stewardship being ‘part-time’ or when it’s ‘convenient or popular’. We have sincere hope that VBB will listen to the words on their Care for Big Bear website page:
“Do not be wise in words - be wise in deeds. Jewish Proverb”





As a lover of all nature, I am sad to see the devastation created for 30 minutes of instant gratification, usually forgotten within hours. We will be holding high hope for the safety of Jackie, Shadow, Sunny and Gizmo and all the rest of nature’s beautiful creatures. Please join me in hoping for their safety and protection.





Sandy

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1 month ago | [YT] | 4,726

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Survival skills…


There was another beautiful sunrise Tuesday morning as this little eagle family of four headed out to begin their day. Before lunchtime, one of our two girls and a parent were seen on the Twin Pine and another juvenile was spotted on the Lookout Snag.


After that, it was pretty quiet in the neighborhood until around dinner time, when Gizmo arrived at the nest through the back porch. What a nice surprise! She watched Sunny flying overhead and when Sunny landed on the High Perch, Gizmo hurried over and hopped up beside her.


Gizmo then decided to move down to the front porch, in the perfect spot just below Sunny. So while there why not take a couple of affectionate nibbles at sis's tail and wing feathers!


Both Sunny and Gizmo vocalized loudly during their stay, but no one showed up with any fish or food. Sunny balanced on her tippie toes on the High Perch branch as Gizmo sweetly nibbled a few more times on Sunny's feathers. They stayed perched about an hour or so, then Sunny flew off toward the Simba Tree and Gizmo followed close behind.


Just a few short weeks ago, these two beautiful sisters strengthened their legs and wings, gaining confidence to climb up on the outer nest rails, and scaled branches of the nest tree, like the High Perch and the attic of the ‘Y’ branch. Once they fledged, their confidence soared as they took to the sky, and these siblings are now quite efficient and stunning!


Sunny and Gizmo are guided by instinct and will continue to learn to hunt by trial and error. During their first year they will primarily scavenge and steal from other birds while they develop the flight skills needed to catch live prey.
To master fishing may take a little longer as it's more of an acquired skill. In the meantime, if they are near shallow water, they may catch a fish directly with their beak, as this is an easier technique. We have also already witnessed both Sunny and Gizmo eat food on a branch.


We certainly hope to see more of these two bonded sisters, but if they disperse sooner than later, we know their amazing parents are preparing them with the skills they need for surviving their first winter.


BKind22

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2 months ago | [YT] | 3,084

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Watching and waiting…


Sunny was awake early Sunday morning, ready to take on the day. She met up with Gizmo and they were on the move again, tree hopping to and from several of their favorite snag trees. Shadow delivered a fish to the nest, then patiently looked around, possibly waiting for one or both of his girls to come in for breakfast. When they didn't show, he started to nibble on the fish and got in a few bites before his beautiful lady Jackie arrived to claim it.


We all know she's always ready for fresh fish, so she gladly took the fish from Shadow but she began eating much slower than usual, likely waiting for the girls as well. Shadow tended to the nest by moving a few sticks and digging his beak in deep to aerate the nesting materials.


Shadow watched Jackie finish all but the tail, then she picked it up in her beak and dangled it as a last ditch effort to feed. No takers arrived, so down the hatch it went! From there, Shadow headed over to the Simba Tree. Jackie followed a few minutes later and she spent some quiet time there preening and perching.


Later in the afternoon, Gizmo decided to drop by the nest where she noticed some leftover evidence there which may have been from a recent fish delivery. She found a few snacks and helped herself but it wasn't enough. She laid down and let everyone within earshot know that she was hungry and a food delivery would be welcomed. When no one arrived, she took off but was still vocalizing loudly. Her calls gradually faded as she flew farther from the nest.
In the early evening, Sunny was perched on her namesake tree, the Sunny Hideout and the parents were both on the Twin Pine. Gizmo was in between them on an unnamed snag tree when she hopped over to a single branch that snapped off. She descended downward but was just fine as she was seen in a fly-by afterward. Jackie and Shadow both flew off to check on her as well.


Before nightfall, the sisters perched together on the Twin Pine. Gizmo stayed there to roost overnight and Sunny flew across the way to her tree (SH) where she settled in for the night.


BKind22

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2 months ago | [YT] | 2,756

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Fish, fish and more fish…


Shadow might have been a little slow on delivery in the early morning…he arrived with a fish to the nest an hour after Sunny had already left. But, no worries, Gizmo came in and snatched the fish from dad. And then Gizmo stayed and also claimed the next fish Shadow brought.


And Shadow seemed to have made it his day’s mission to feed these eaglets beyond their capacity to eat any more…
After such a nice breakfast, Gizmo napped in the nest bowl for a bit then left. When the next fish had no takers, Shadow took the fish off to look for someone to feed, but soon brought it back to the nest after Gizmo arrived again.
Sunny apparently started detecting she was missing out and showed up at the nest to help her sister clean up scraps…but then Shadow brought another fish that Sunny claimed.


With both Gizmo and Sunny there for the next 3 fish deliveries, a huge kerfuffle ensued each time Shadow brought in another fish. Shadow even got his toe almost snatched at one point, so he learned to quickly leap up the Y-branch out of the way.


There were also a few tug-o-fish struggles between the sisters. Each one of them won some of the fish, so they both were well-fed. Shadow brought 7 fish throughout the day!


And if that wasn’t enough, Jackie also brought a fish in the later evening. Interestingly, the girls were much better behaved around Jackie, both diving at the fish, but not swarming Jackie…and Jackie was better at backing out of the way. With both Sunny and Gizmo now bigger than Shadow, it is apparently easier for him to get covered in the chaos.


After all the eating activities of the day, Gizmo left for the night, but Sunny stayed in the nest. Gizmo spent the night on Sunny’s Hideout tree. Both of them had very full crops to sleep well.


Sandy

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2 months ago | [YT] | 1,308

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Strong family ties…
Gizmo decided to sleep elsewhere Thursday night and Sunny spent the night alone in the nest. Mama Jackie delivered a squirrel the evening prior and she arrived at the nest early Friday morning to share some of the leftover meal with Sunny. After that, both eaglets were away most of the morning, likely out and about with Mom and Dad learning some new skills.
Early in the afternoon, Sunny and Gizmo made an appearance in the nest with Gizmo arriving first and Sunny five minutes later. After perching for a bit, Gizmo looked around and found a leftover piece of the prey and they ended up in a tug 'o war which she won. Sunny managed to tear a piece off so she got a snack too. Gizmo ate some of her piece, then brought the last part of her share over to Sunny. What a sweet sisterly move! Sunny ate as much as she could before the last piece dangled from her beak then fell over the edge of the nest. And that was the last of the squirrel!
They were off to do more tree hopping and in between various tree visits they followed two fish deliveries from Dad to the nest and one from Mom. There seems to be quite a nice balance between their following Mom and Dad out in the habitat but also spending time in the nest.
By the end of the afternoon, Sunny was off to do some exploring on the Simba Tree and Gizmo was out doing her thing. They met up on the front porch and perched together for a bit. Sunny was off again and Gizmo watched her fly by until she landed in the basement below the nest. Ten minutes later, Dad delivered another fish. An obviously still hungry Sunny flew out and raced up from the basement to claim that fish before Gizmo who was in the ‘Y’ attic. Shadow took off back to the lake and returned with one last fish, then he called it a day.
Gizmo was in a food coma and she snoozed on the front porch as the girls perched together before nightfall. Gizmo then flew out to roost elsewhere and an exhausted Sunny laid down in the nest. Crops were full. Day is done. Gone the sun. All is well. These two sisters are filling our hearts with so much joy!
BKind22

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2 months ago | [YT] | 3,621