One of three eaglets in California is missing

BIG BEAR, Calif. (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - A mystery in Big Bear, California, and it may be leading to some bad news.

One of Jackie and Shadow's three eaglets is noticibly missing from the nest, and while it's unclear which of the three birds is missing, experts say the chances of it being alive are slim.

It's a gripping life-or-death drama capitvating tens of thousands of people across SoCal as all eyes on the 24/7 livestream from Big Bear, hoping for an official update on Jackie, Shadow, and their eaglets.

The mystery revolving around what happened to one of the chicks began after viewers noticed Friday morning that Jackie was feeding only two of the three, and the concern has been building since the last time all three eaglets were seen in their nest feeding around 6:15 p.m. Thursday.

"We saw them, and they were all eating, so we don't know, you know what the situation is at the current moment," said Sandy Steers, Executive Director for Friends of Big Bear Valley.

Footage captured, around 5:30 p.m. Friday, shows two eaglets being fed before the parent sits to keep them warm.

According to experts, like Wildife Bioligist Peter Sharpe, the possibilities of the missing eaglet being alive are slim.

"That's what we have to expect when we put live cameras on wild animals," Sharpe spoke.

Sharpe added that it's normal for a third younger eaglet not to survive.

In this case, he says one possibility is the wet weather and freezing temperatures led to the eaglet being stuck to one of the adult's feathers when it flew off and ended up not coming back.

Other examples include starvation or a sibling rivalry between the older chicks, where they establish a literal pecking order.

"Sometimes it just gets buried in the grasses. But this nest doesn't have a lot of grass usually, so sometimes they'll move it out, and sometimes they'll actually just view it as food and eat on it or feed it to the other chicks," Sharpe added.

Moving forward, the focus shifts toward the eaglet's growth and how they deal with the weather, like rain in the day and freezing temperatures at night.

"The chicks don't have their waterproof feathers yet, and they can't get under the adult, so they get wet and then get really cold at night," Sharpe added.

It's a struggle, grabbing the attention not just of experts, but of many people locked into the latest developments.

"We've been pretty invested. So, we were quite shocked," said one Big Bear resident.

"I was just like, woah. I was hoping it didn't fall out of the nest," said another Big Bear resident.

Sharpe does not believe the frigid weather would be the reason an eaglet doesn't survive. That's because at this stage, they are covered by mom and dad.

In a few weeks, though, that's when the cold temps could become a factor.

In the meantime, the latest drama is emphasizing the sometimes-harsh reality of nature.