This livestream of baby bald eagles is the only thing keeping me sane

The internet is an unpleasant place, full of grim headlines, misinformation and social media content designed to make you feel ugly and unsuccessful. But there are good bits too.

Take Jackie and Shadow, a happy couple who live in a home with breathtaking views of Big Bear Lake in San Bernardino county, California. They currently have two children, Sunny and Gizmo, who are preparing to leave home and make their own way in the world. They are, in many ways, the purest embodiment of the modern American dream: reality stars, and also bald eagles.

The family has been on camera since October 2015, when the environmental non-profit group Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV) started a live stream of the nest. For years, fans have watched live as the eagles share meals (mostly fish), relax and tease each other. Sometimes Shadow nips at Jackie’s tail or wing “to get a response out of her”, says Sandy Steers, the executive director of FOBBV. “It’s hilarious.”

The eagle cam was Steers’s idea. She started watching the nest years ago, though from the ground, back when it was still occupied by Jackie’s parents, Ricky and Lucy. “I got to watch Jackie grow up through a spotting scope, and it completely hooked me,” she says.

Over the years, the feed’s numbers have soared like a majestic bird of prey. The YouTube page has more than 638,000 subscribers, and as I write this, 46,000 people are watching with me. Multiple news outlets have referred to the eagles as “celebrities”. And there’s merch: FOBBV sells Shadow and Jackie plushies ($30), tote bags ($20) and sweatshirts ($45).

“I think what draws people is that nature is fascinating, and most of us haven’t really had the chance to sit and study it,” Steers says. “It connects people with themselves and their emotions.”

The emotions these eagles elicit seem to be pleasant. Besides the birds, the page includes another wonder of the natural world: a wholesome comment section.

“Love you Jackie, Shadow, Sunny, and Gizmo, you’re in my heart forever!” one fan writes in the live chat.

“What gets me through the day is to watch this beautiful family thrive,” writes another.

The eagles inspire such fervent adoration because of their personalities, says Steers. “Jackie is serious and she’s the boss, absolutely,” she explains. “Shadow knows all of Jackie’s rules, and at the same time, he’s independent.”

Jackie and Shadow’s love is the stuff of romcoms. After Rick and Lucy left, Jackie occupied the nest with her first partner, Mr B. In 2018, they had two chicks, but only one survived. That summer another eagle appeared – a charming, impish and stubborn young man who began hanging around the nest and wouldn’t leave no matter how much Mr. B snapped at him. Eventually, Mr B gave up and left.

Don’t bald eagles mate for life? “For the most part, but apparently not always,” says Steers.

Now, the family is mostly settled. Sunny and Gizmo are the couple’s fifth and sixth offspring. The Eagle Log, which is run by FOBBV members and posts regular updates on the nest, recently confirmed Gizmo is a girl, based on her overall size, behavior and “obsession with food”. The jury is still out on Sunny’s sex, but the group hopes to have more clarity in the next couple of days.

At eleven weeks old, the eaglets are almost ready to fly, and a “fledge watch” is under way as fans eagerly wait to see them take to the skies.

“They don’t look quite ready to me,” says Steers. “But maybe that’s just me hoping they stay longer.”

I first heard about the eagle cam years ago from a friend, and ever since Gizmo and Sunny first hatched back in March (they’re both Pisces), I’ve kept the live stream open in a tab on my computer. Between work tasks, I click over to see how my feathered pals are doing. It’s become a happy break for me.

I’ve watched Sunny and Gizmo grow from tiny balls of gray fuzz into big glorious raptors with razor sharp beaks and claws. I’ve seen Jackie feed the eaglets tiny bits of fish, and watched Gizmo hop in the air and practice flying (“We call that ‘wingercising,’” says Steers).

Sometimes the feed is quiet – perhaps the kids are napping and Jackie and Shadow are out hunting . I enjoy the serenity of the trees swaying in the wind and the lake’s glitter too. As Steers wrote in a recent post in the Eagle Log: “Sometimes a quiet, observant, appreciative loving day is simply essential to the joy of living for all beings.”