Weather 
BIG BEAR, Calif. — Big Bear’s internet-famous bald eagles were not seen in their nest Saturday morning, the day after a Fourth of July fireworks show was held in the area despite the objections of many of the eagles’ supporters, who expressed concerns over possible harm to the birds.
The elder eagles, Jackie and Shadow, had been spotted together Friday morning on their favorite roost tree, “chortling out their morning song and then working on waking up enough to start their day. When they headed out, one of them dropped by the Lookout Snag to check everything around the habitat before continuing to their next destination,” Sandy Steers, executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, said in a statement.
Shortly after 8 p.m., Jackie and Shadow were seen settled in the roost tree, near each other and ready for sleep by 8:30 p.m., according to the nonprofit organization.
A fireworks show is set to be held as scheduled despite concerns from thousands of people who say the fireworks could have potentially harmful effects on the area’s bald eagles.
Then the fireworks show began.
“At about 9 p.m. when some booms started, one of the eagles was no longer visible on the Roost Tree and was seen by our security camera flying away from the roost tree. Jackie made a peal call (a call emitted as a warning about danger) and a couple other short calls from nearby,” Steers’ statement said. “The full show started at 9:17 and no eagles were visible on the roost tree by 9:18. The fireworks went on for another 20 minutes to the big finale.”
Jackie and Shadow were not in the tree Saturday morning, and none of their usual vocals were heard from anywhere nearby, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley.
Steers and others had called for a delay or ban of the fireworks show.
“We have noticed that Jackie and Shadow fly off each year with the fireworks, we have them on camera,” Steers said previously.
She was concerned that the fireworks could frighten not only the adults, but also their eaglets, who only recently learned to fly.
“Right now Sunny and Gizmo are still out and about in the area, and they don’t yet know everything they are doing,” Steers said before the July Fourth fireworks show. “Eagles flying at night is really dangerous. They have worse night vision than we do.”
On Saturday morning, she wrote of the eagles: “We will all be sending out hope for their speedy return.”
