I’ve had several potential diaries swirling around in my beleaguered brain over the course of this pandemic, and over the rest of the 4+ years of Sheer Hell we’re all been subjected to. Subjects ranging all the way from the sudden & tragic loss of my best friend back in December 2020, to the recent, superlative Frank Zappa Documentary, the Mr. Bungle reunion, as well as a host of other oft-insane, wide-ranging subjects.
None of that stuff has properly fleshed itself out as yet, but today I really want to introduce you to these two amazing inhabitants of a particular tree out in Fawnskin, near Big Bear Lake, California.
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First, just a bit of background on my unique relationship with Big Bear Valley: Back in late 1978, when I was 14 years old & halfway through 9th grade, my mom had decided to remarry. This decision led to a series of drastic, dramatic changes for our family. The man she married had persuaded her to sell off our childhood home in the San Fernando Valley (suburbs of Los Angeles; Encino to be exact) and to move 100+ miles away up to the Mountain ski resort community of Big Bear Lake/ Big Bear City. They purchased us an amazing 3 story house in Whispering Forest, on the very edge of the beautiful San Bernardino National Forest, where I was able to do things like take a 10 minute hike and suddenly find myself deep inside a historic mining tunnel.
I had the entire downstairs of this house to myself, with my own bathroom, bedroom and living room, complete with a bar. That bar would later host a veritable avalanche of bonghits, not to mention 2 kegs of Michelob for my epic 16th birthday bash -- a party that was so enormous, it literally killed the town’s High School prom. The years in Big Bear were formative, wild, and consequential for me in far too many ways to go into here, but I’ll begin the end of this biographical section with this:
The man my mother married turned out to be a con man, and he & his elderly folks took EVERYTHING they could get their hands on (including a Blue & Gold Macaw and all of my mother’s money) and skipped town. We ended up eventually losing the house, but we somehow still managed to make it up there in beautiful Big Bear without that damn scoundrel.
I will always have a special place in my heart for this very special place, and the countless memories I have from my time living there.
OK, just a little bit more: Personally, I managed to survive copious amounts of early-1980s insane party animal behavior, which included “the jocks vs. the longhairs” weekend brawls, biker buddy antics, our feeble attempts to quash the onset of the early Punk Rock movement, (which I soon embraced outright) brushes with the law in the form of a brutal, small-town redneck d**khead Sheriff, an “oops” daughter born when I was 17, the tragic loss of our 13 year old guitar jammin’ buddy Troy, obnoxious backroom parties at my poor mom’s Foster's Donut Shop, (when I was supposed to be baking donuts for her on the graveyard shift) and especially the numerous, treacherous 40 mile jaunts down CA Highways 18 & 330 to San Berdoo for epic prog/ hard rock/ metal concerts at the historic old Swing Auditorium.
I also (shockingly) managed to graduate High School in this wonderful little town. (parts of which, from I hear, have now sadly become quite overpopulated & congested)
“Just one more thing...”
As the late, great Peter Falk's Columbo* might say: Big Bear Lake is also the place where I first saw an actual live, wild Bald Eagle in person, and that’s a moment which I’ll most definitely never forget.
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Fast forward by about 40 years…
I started following Jackie & Shadow for the first time, back in late Winter 2019-20 -- just as the COVID-19 pandemic began to tighten its grip on the USA. The live webcam was documenting their quest for parenthood in real time, and I was utterly hooked, just in time for the Big Lockdown. I would check back at least twice daily, and would sometimes just leave the feed running so I could hear the immensely soothing & familiar sound of the mountain breezes & winds whispering & whipping through the pines.
Alas, last year’s Shadow & Jackie saga had a sad and unfortunate conclusion, as their egg(s) simply failed to hatch. Such is nature, as they say, although I think I might have taken the whole thing a bit harder than did J & S. They are one persistent duo, as you’re about to find out.
I was preparing to compose an earlier version of this diary several weeks back, but was thwarted when I learned that a pesky raven had attacked their lone egg, and that the egg was lost. Another false start happened soon after that, when Jackie lost one of two new eggs during labor, and the other to (probably the same) raven. This diary shall remain, whatever the outcome.
So, I was now heartbroken x3 for 2021, and there was talk from some of the experts that the pair might not return for another shot at parenthood this time around. : (
Well GUESS WHAT!? Jackie & Shadow are BACK, and they now have a fresh pair of eggs (February 8th & 11th) to protect & keep warm. And this was just in time for my birthday, which was 2 days ago!
The best part of all is that any of us can check in on them anytime we want to, right here on the...
Big Bear Bald Eagle Cam
Watch them bring each other fish dinner! Watch them bring in new sticks, and move many sticks around the nest! (Hopefully) watch them become proud parents!
To me, this is better than half the crap on TV -- other than perhaps *Columbo.
* For any existing or potential Columbophiles out there: The first official episode in Season 1 of this series (after the feature & pilot) was entitled Murder by the Book, and starred Jack Cassidy and Martin Milner. It was also one of Steven Spielberg’s early directorial efforts. A good chunk of that episode was filmed in the Fawnskin/ Big Bear Lake area, very close to where Jackie & Shadow are now residing. It’s a fantastic episode and is widely considered a classic; please consider seeking it out!
One last note: Jackie & Shadow’s habitat area (which includes the only active Bald Eagle nest in the entire region) is under threat from a destructive, dangerous, and greed-driven luxury development project. Please have a look at the Friends of Big Bear Valley website (link below, both here and on the YouTube live cam page) for more info, a Q & A, History, Eagle Glossary and ways to make a difference.
Friends of Big Bear Valley Website
Thanks for reading, please send these 2 your best & most positive energy!