Pip watch is on for thousands who tune in daily to a live stream capturing the goings-on in an eagle nest overlooking Big Bear Lake.
Leap Day is the first official day for pip watch, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley, which operates a pair of web cams that monitor the lives of Jackie and Shadow, the pair of nesting eagles who this year are caring for their first three-egg clutch.
In a social media post earlier in the week, the nonprofit said live stream viewers may catch sight of the first “pip” — or the first crack in an eggshell created by the chick inside — Thursday, Feb. 29. That’s 35 days since Jackie, the female eagle, on Jan. 25 delivered the first of her three eggs.
The second egg appeared Jan. 28 and the third, a first for the nesting eagles, arrived Jan. 31.
Shadow, the male Big Bear eagle, turns the three eagle eggs before sitting on them in their nest in Big Bear on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. (Video still courtesy of Friends of Big Bear Valley)
Live stream viewers over the next several days may notice Jackie and her mate, Shadow, paying more attention to the eggs, spending time listening and possibly “stocking the pantry” by leaving uneaten fish in the nest, Friends of Big Bear Valley said.
Once the first pip in the shell appears, it can take one to three days for the chick to completely hatch, the nonprofit said.
In previous years, the Big Bear eaglets have hatched 38 to 39 days into incubation, but Friends of Big Bear Valley said the process may take longer due to the arrival of the third egg this year.
Shadow, the male big Bear eagle, peers into the camera before taking his turn to sit on the three eagle eggs in their nest in Big Bear on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. (Video still courtesy of Friends of Big Bear Valley)
Last year, neither of the two eggs laid by Jackie hatched. FOBBV representatives say hatching can be impacted by solar flares, earthquakes, confused hormones, intruder eagles and weather conditions.
Jackie’s most recent offspring, Spirit, hatched in March 2022.
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