Luna chased away an intruding subadult eagle from the Big Bear Valley nest while Jackie recovers at the Ojai Raptor Center. Shadow is now feeding and caring for Sandy and Luna in the nest, keeping the site active while Jackie remains about 170 miles east in Ojai.
Jackie is in critical condition after a fight with two other adult eagles near Dana Point. Friends of Big Bear Valley said she is eating on her own, has more energy, and is fighting off staff taking care of her, even as the care team keeps watching her kidney function and anemia.
Ojai Raptor Center care
The Ojai Raptor Center said Jackie is anemic and has inflammation affecting her kidney function. The team is waiting for a toxicology report to see whether rodenticide, zinc, or lead is in her system, and lead is particularly toxic for eagles.
That treatment track leaves the focus on stabilization first. For Jackie, the practical issue is whether the lab work points to a toxin that can explain the blood loss and kidney inflammation, or whether specialists have to keep treating the symptoms while they wait for the report.
Big Bear Valley nest
At the nest in Big Bear Valley, the response has shifted to Shadow. He is feeding and caring for Sandy and Luna while Jackie is away, and Luna’s chase of the intruder shows the nest is still being defended.
Jackie and Shadow have already been through a rough stretch. In January, two of their eggs were destroyed by ravens, then two new eggs hatched in April. Chick 1 hatched on April 4 at 9:33 p.m. PDT, and Chick 2 hatched on April 5 at 8:30 a.m.; Friends of Big Bear Valley announced on May 1 that the chicks were named Sandy and Luna.
Jackie and Shadow
The nest has remained under close attention because young eagles face hawks, ravens, other eagles, and owls before they leave the nest, usually at 10 to 14 weeks of age. Friends of Big Bear Valley said, “We noticed that Jackie’s hormones seem to kick in earlier and she becomes frisky… and Shadow generally has a case of the December grumpies until his kick in,” and added, “But again, Shadow will do what Shadow wants to, and we have no say so in the matter.”
For now, the work at Big Bear Valley is straightforward: Jackie gets treatment in Ojai, Shadow holds the nest, and Luna and Sandy stay inside it while the adults keep watch for another challenge.
