7 March 2024
BIG BEAR VALLEY, Cali. — Tens of thousands are glued to their computers and mobile devices hoping to catch the first stages of hatching as three eagle eggs in California’s Big Bear Valley approach the end of incubation.
The famous bald eagle couple, Jackie and Shadow, laid the eggs in late January, reports Nexstar’s KTLA. The typical incubation period for an eagle egg is 35 days with the hatching process taking 1 to 3 days from start to finish, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV).
FOBBV has two live webcams (a nest cam and a wide view cam) on YouTube for fans to follow this year’s journey to parenthood for Jackie and Shadow. The nest cam can be seen in the live player above.
FOBBV announced the beginning of pip watch on Feb. 29 on its Instagram page.
Pip refers to the holes a chick pokes in the egg when it’s getting ready to emerge.
“When a hole is poked through an egg’s membrane it is called the internal pip, and when a hole is pecked through the egg shell it is called the external pip,” journeynorth.org posted on its website.
The couple’s nest is located in Big Bear Valley in the San Bernardino Mountains and is about 145 feet up in a Jeffrey Pine tree.
Watchers can tell the bald eagles apart because Jackie is larger and her beak is both longer and thicker than Shadow’s.
FOBBV stated on its website that it is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
“We protect and preserve our amazing natural surroundings through environmental education and advocacy about its value and community benefit,” the website says.