Hope And Heartbreak: Jackie And Shadow's Saga Is Hitting Humans Hard

Jackie and Shadow’s family saga has been playing out in hearts and homes across the country on a popular livestream as the bald eagle couple slowly but surely leave their three eggs unattended.

It’s been weeks without so much as a pip — the term from when an eaglet starts emerging — in their nest in Big Bear Valley, and the clutch is certainly not viable at this point.

The hope and heartbreak has sparked emotional reactions from fans, with mothers coming to Jackie’s defense, others complimenting Shadow’s dedication, and many with a lot of thoughts about their love story.

So what is it about these wild animals that’s bringing up such strong feelings?

How fans are feeling

A Facebook comment from Angie Wilson on LAist's past coverage of Jackie and Shadow.

(

Screenshot of LAist Facebook

)

Angie Wilson, a 41-year-old Navy veteran who lives in Florida, told LAist she found the Friends of Big Bear Valley Facebook page a few months back, shortly after Jackie and Shadow had their clutch.

Wilson said she almost immediately became interested in the couple and how so many people seemed to be invested in the eagles.

She said she was anxiously watching for eaglets along with thousands of other fans, and she became emotional when it didn’t work out the way they had hoped.

“It's sad to watch, you know, when you're expecting to see greatness of babies come about, but they don't come about because of whatever reason,” Wilson said. “I mean, it's made me cry a few times. More than a few times.”

A Facebook comment from Melanie Stagnaro on LAist's past coverage of Jackie and Shadow.

(

Screenshot of LAist Facebook

)

Melanie Stagnaro, a professor at California State University, Los Angeles who lives in Laurel Canyon, told LAist she learned about the livestream last year, but she got really invested this past January.

Now, Stagnaro said the first thing she does when she wakes up or as she’s having tea before bed is scroll back through YouTube and see what Jackie and Shadow have been up to.

“They're just so beautiful, and I feel like, I don't know, something in their faces and their eyes, I'm like, ‘Oh mama, I feel for you,’” she said.

Stagnaro said she’s almost an empty nester herself, and seeing the couple leave their eggs alone has been “bringing up some things for me.”

The Stagnaro’s refer to their family as a team, she said, and she sees Jackie and Shadow in the same light.

“When I turn it on and I see them there, it just touches my soul,” Stagnaro said.

She’s been inspired to find ways to observe animals in their natural habitat without disturbing them, even asking her father if he’d consider setting up cameras for the dozen bald eagles living on his property in the greater Seattle area.

What experts say

David Hindman, the immediate past president of the California Psychological Association who’s been following Jackie and Shadow for several years, told LAist the livestream is like reality TV meets Animal Kingdom, and it's giving people unique access to the daily lives of these otherwise elusive creatures.

Hindman referred to the concept of anthropomorphism, or when human characteristics are attributed to animals or inanimate objects, which he said can be positive and difficult.

“Maybe one of the reasons that people are having such a reaction is that they are able to recognize or access feelings that they themselves would have otherwise had in a similar situation,” he said. “They can see themselves through the experience of animals.”

Plus, when Jackie and Shadow are interacting with each other and fighting over that last bit of fish, people can see parallels in their own relationships.

Gail Melson, professor emerita in the department of human development and family studies at Purdue University, told LAist that the longer people watch the couple, the more they see things they can relate to in their own lives.

And when we’re identifying with something an animal is experiencing, she said we don’t put up the same kind of defense mechanisms as if we’re dealing with ourselves or other humans. Topics that might seem upsetting or difficult when thinking in those terms could be easier to talk about when you’re one step removed and identifying with an animal instead.

Melson related it to Lion King. While it might be hard for a child (or adult) to confront the idea of the death of a parent, they can watch what happens to Mufasa and see themselves in Simba as he navigates those feelings. 

“It's just one kind of explanation for why we're drawn to these stories in animal form where it might be difficult for us if we simply had, you know, humans who were a little too close for comfort, a little too much like maybe our own parents or, you know, our own family,” Melson said.

She noted that technology is also changing the way we respond.

“Think of what our feelings might have been before the webcam was possible, and we couldn't get close up to the nest, and we couldn't really see what was going on,” Melson said.

Keeping a distance

However, Hindman said it’s important to remember that there is a separation, and what we imagine the eagles are going through might not actually be the case. Hindman said while he’s glad people are having conversations about Jackie and Shadow, we need to respect the difference between animal nature versus human emotions.

“For those that are relatively newer to this particular saga, I think it's important to kind of be able to remember that there's some history with it as well,” he said. “Jackie and Shadow have been here before.”

Even though it can be tough to tune in at times, Wilson and Stagnaro said they’ve learned a lot from the famous feathered couple.

“They just do it and they just sit on those eggs,” Stagnaro said. “For me as a parent, but just even as a woman, it's like, just do it, you know, just go out there and persevere.”

Wilson said we may not understand exactly what Jackie and Shadow have been going through, but they haven’t given up on each other, and she finds that “amazing.”

She’s even started watching other bald eagle cameras, including ones in Hanover, Pennsylvania and Redding, California, but she said she’s never going to stop keeping up with her beloved nest in Big Bear.

“We're trying to move on like Jackie and Shadow are trying to move on,” she said. “It's just not easy.”