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The following, is all Paula Coder McCarthy - the good, the bad, and the ugly.
One might call me addicted to information because I consume news all day long.
I read newspapers, and magazines, listen to podcasts, and radio, and watch TV news broadcasts incessantly, but I consider myself just a highly informed citizen.
At times, listening to and watching the news is agonizing, and I ask myself why I even participate in this world; however, sometimes a new idea, a new thought, or a new friendship develops from a journalist's story and it seems like "the pain is worth the gain".
That is when I thank God for professional journalism, the FREE PRESS, and a country with multiple news outlets.
One recent morning, listening to NPR as I brewed a cup of coffee, a report “came over the wire” that the bald eagles - Jackie and Shadow - were probably going to be eggless after sitting on their nest for a couple of months.
What?
I did some digging and discovered an entirely new world and two new friends.
Jackie (female) and Shadow (male), bald eagle mates, live together in a large nest in the San Bernadino Mountains of Big Bear, California. Recently, Jackie laid three eggs that experts believe are"not viable". Meaning - that the eggs probably will not hatch.
Nonetheless, Jackie and Shadow tag team (Not sure it is 50/50, but Shadow is on "Daddy Duty" lots. People are watching and making reports.) sitting on these eggs through blinding snow storms and windy nights up in a Jeffrey pine tree 154 feet. (I know firsthand because some nights I wake up in the middle of the night and check on them. Here is the live feed link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE)
Yes, there is a solar-powered camera in that tree that watches them 24-7.
3,635 people are watching Jackie now (I think it is Jackie) and this is what they see.
It is 5: 45 a.m. in California and the bird is sleeping in a snow-packed nest. The fun parts happen when one bird leaves and the other bird takes over. Also, the birds bring food to each other and add sticks to the nest periodically. The organization that supports the camera FOBBV, Friends of Big Bear Valley, a non-profit LLC, provides a summary of activities, so if you miss something you can always find a recap and highlights.
In the final analysis, Jackie and Shadow have masses of patience.
Doing a quick Google Search I discovered this:
"The most patient animals in the world are found in different vertebrates including fish such as the frogfishes, many snakes such as the black mamba, many mammals including cats, several birds such as the anhinga, owls, some arachnids including spiders such as Tarantula, and many reptiles including crocodiles, snapping turtles, and the mulga dragon. There are other creatures which belong to patient animals such as Killer Whales, Lions, Komodo Dragons, and Piranhas."
Eagles do not even make the top ten.
Watching them come and go and watching them sit and sit and sit and sit is very relaxing and uniquely informative.
So, I find myself with more information, new friends who have become role models, and an incentive to be more patient.
P.S. I think Jackie just took her morning break and Shadow flew in to relieve her. The eggs were only exposed for about 30 seconds.
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