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We Have A Chick! Big Bear Bald Eagle Couple Welcomes Hatching Of First Egg (Plus First Feeding)
A still from the Eagle Cam in Big Bear Valley where Jackie and Shadow are awaiting chicks.
(
Friends Of Big Bear Valley
/
YouTube
)
A Big Bear couple's big day has finally arrived.
The eagle parents are Jackie and Shadow. Their eggs began showing pip signs — the crack of the shell a chick makes with its egg tooth — on Wednesday, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley.
A chick emerged by Thursday afternoon and was captured on a live video stream of the nest. Here you can see the new eagle under the watchful eye of papa Shadow, who was on the nest at the time of hatching.
(
Screenshot of live cam from Friends of Big Bear Valley
)
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Then on Friday, the live stream captured the chick's first feeding.
And like any new parents, Jackie and Shadow will have a lot to discuss.
In a Facebook post, the nonprofit noted that eggs usually pip around 38 to 39 days. Jackie and Shadow's eggs began hatching at 40.
This is good news for the power couple, who lost all of their eggs last year. But signs of new life are even better news for the bald eagle population.
Still no word on a pip for the second egg. You can keep an eye out yourself via the live cam:
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The species has made an impressive comeback in the Golden State after being on the brink of extinction in 1977.
Bald eagles were reported to be nesting in only eight of the state's 58 counties in 1977. Now, they have roots in 41.
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