Thousands of live streamers remain glued to their computers and mobile devices Monday waiting for one of Jackie and Shadow’s eggs to hatch in Big Bear.
The bald eagle couple laid three eggs in late January and more than 30,000 fans were on a live stream at 9 a.m. hoping there would be a new baby chick.
Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV) has set up 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.
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.