Five Lessons on Family Life from Bald Eagle Couple: Jackie and Shadow

Since March of this year and over the course of the summer we have been experiencing a cultural moment. A family of eagles took the internet by storm. If you know the names Jackie, Shadow, Gizmo and Sunny then you know what I'm talking about. An eagles’ nest located 145 feet up in a pine tree in Big Bear CA has been filmed from multiple angles non stop capturing a young family of eagles growing together through the various stages of eagle life.

Over a million viewers have tuned in to the live stream on YouTube. At one point there were over 100,000 viewing the eagle family drama at one time. It was peak reality TV, a ‘Truman Show’ for eagles. 

Most human families these days would not be able to withstand the scrutiny of being filmed 24/7 but Jackie and Shadows' incredible family not only rose to the occasion, they soared. They took the opportunity to teach us humans a thing or two about family life according to God’s natural plan. Here's what we learned...

1. Mothers and Fathers are both Needed in a Family :

Mothers and fathers have different God-given roles even in eagle families. Shadow is the smaller, male bald eagle, and he is the primary hunter and provider of food for the nest. He brings prey, such as fish and other small animals, back to Jackie. Jackie is the female bald eagle. During the nesting season, she was seen incubating the eggs and protecting the chicks in the nest. As she received food from Shadow she ate it at the nest so that the eaglets may be fed from her mouth at first. Later, they will learn to tear at the fish with their razor-sharp beaks. On one day Shadow’s fishing record was broken as he brought 12 fish back to the six foot in diameter nest. On another day Shadow showed off his fishing skills, returning 90 seconds later with a fish in his talons after he departed for the lake below. 

They are not competing against each other in their ‘gender roles’. By following nature they are complementing each other and cooperating selflessly for the sake of one goal, the well being of their offspring. 

2. How to make a Nest a Home:

Jackie and Shadow know instinctively how to be good parents and how to run a home (Nest). Beginning with preparations for offspring, their union as a couple is in service of a greater family bond. Both the male and female eagles construct a large nest from sticks, usually in high, inaccessible trees. Both parents hunt and feed the eaglets, which remain in the nest for 11-12 weeks before fledging. After leaving the nest, young eagles are fed by their parents for another four to six weeks, and they may stay near the nest as a home base. Mother and father eagles often return to and add to the same nest each breeding season. Jackie, the mom eagle, was seen tidying up the nest and expanding the walls of the nest as the eaglets Sunny and Gizmo grew. Sunny the oldest and Gizmo the youngest needed their space.

Like siblings in any family they had their share of spats. “Gizmo was a little stinker from the very beginning, even when she was much smaller than Sunny. Um you know, we have little videos of her. She would pretend she was sleeping and Sunny's sitting next to her. And she would kind of sit up behind Sunny and bong him and get things going and everybody was saying, ‘Oh, the bigger one's being mean.’ But actually, it was Gizmo that started it most of the time.”  Said Sandy Steers, Friends of Big Bear Valley executive director.

3. Marriage is Supposed to be a Life-Long Monogamous Commitment:

Eagle family life centers on a monogamous, lifelong male and female bond where both parents build a nest and share incubation of 1-3 eggs. Bald eagles do not start breeding until they reach maturity. Once they find a suitable mate, the two birds pair for life. The female lays two eggs, at the end of February or the first of March. Both parents incubate the eggs for 34 to 36 days. For the first two weeks after the arrival of hatchlings, Jackie stayed with the young round the clock while the father Shadow hunted and delivered food to the nest. According to Sandy,  “It's been interesting to me to watch them over the years. They've been together seven years and I have seen them as a couple grow closer. They behave differently with each other. They're much more gentle with each other. Uh they know each other's little tricks and gimmicks and things like that.” 

4. Protection of the the Little Ones at all Costs: 

Parents must be the first line of defense against all forms of danger and evil. Both Jackie and Shadow as full grown bald eagles have razor sharp beaks and talons to be used primarily to hunt and to fight. Both parents protected the fragile eggs (the unborn eagles) and eaglets from extreme weather and kept them warm. Life in the mountains is rough. Three eggs hatched; one eaglet (Misty) died during a storm. Jackie had to fan her wings on one occasion to chase away a squirrel. On several other occasions Jackie called out for Shadow to defend the nest from predatorial ravens who circled nearby. Mom and dad worked together to provide a safe home environment. It was Shadow, the father, who was most aggressive in defending the air and outer perimeter of the nest.

5. How to Model Responsible Adulthood as Proud Empty Nesters:

Parenthood is very demanding not only when they are young but throughout theiur early adulkt years as well. Good parents prepare their young to leave the nest but they don't suddenly withdraw their parental love and concern. Eaglets stay in the nest for 11–12 weeks before they can fly. They remain with their parents for another 4-6 weeks, relying on them for food and learning to hunt.  Jackie and Shadow both participated in the process of weaning, encouraging flight and they continued to provide food for several weeks after they fledged (developed wing feathers big enough for flight). The eaglets practiced flying and hunting with their parents' support until they were independent enough to leave the nesting territory.

For those who think with the Church, we saw in Jackie, Shadow and family the sacramentality of creation. Whether the many viewers realized it or not they were caught up in the divine wisdom that stretches across the entire cosmos and “orders all things well” (Wis 8:1). Perhaps the popularity of this channel showing the successful family dynamics of eagles is due to the breakdown of so many human families. As strange as it sounds, in a non-threatening way secular people were being catechized by nature on God's plan for family life.

Lord, Awaken our hearts and open our eyes to the things we can learn about You through the book of nature. Amen.