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Eaglet watch: Third chick is breaking through shell in Jackie and Shadow's nest
Two eagle chicks accept food in a nest as a third chick appears to be working on hatching.
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Courtesy Friends of Big Bear Valley via YouTube
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Update, Saturday, March 8: Chick 3 has arrived! Read the latest story ▶
Big Bear’s famous bald eagle couple are about to have a full nest on their feathers — Jackie and Shadow’s third egg is showing signs of hatching.
Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that manages the popular YouTube livestream centered on the eagles, confirmed that the egg pipped — or cracked — at around 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
Once it works its way through the hatching process over the next day or two, it’ll join its siblings, Chick 1 and Chick 2, in the tall pine tree overlooking Big Bear Lake.
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By late Friday afternoon, fans watching on the live stream could see a pretty big chunk missing out of the third eggshell, and the chick is starting to poke its head out. Though it still had not fully hatched.
Friends of Big Bear Valley said Thursday that the nest's third egg started to show signs of life.
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Friends of Big Bear Valley livestream
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YouTube
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This is the first time Jackie and Shadow have cared for three chicks at once, and the second season they’ve had a trio of eggs to incubate.
But Peter Sharpe, a wildlife biologist with the Institute for Wildlife Studies and the expert behind Jackie and Shadow’s camera system, told LAist that three chicks isn’t out of the ordinary for bald eagles.
“There's been up to four laid,” he said. “But the average is two.”
The latest pip comes after a winter storm dumped several inches of snow on Big Bear last night, but have no fear: The chicks of beloved eagles Jackie and Shadow are staying safe and warm.
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The adult eagles each have more than 7,000 waterproof feathers, plus down feathers that keep their chicks warm despite the freezing temperatures, according to Sandy Steers, executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that manages the YouTube livestream of the famous feathered couple.
"They know what they're doing in this kind of weather, and they're built for it. It's actually more worrisome if it was way too hot," Steers said. "They will protect the chicks."
The two chicks hatched earlier this week and now require round-the-clock attention to stay alive, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley. That's why Jackie has been sitting on her babies constantly. Steers said the only time the couple won't be sitting on their chicks is when they're feeding them. Yesterday, Shadow brought three fish to the nest.
The coldest weather is yet to come. Adam Roser with the National Weather Service said temperatures will drop to 15 degrees Thursday night, and more snow and strong winds are expected.
That won't be a problem for Jackie and Shadow according to Steers, who said it's actually a great time for a storm, because the chicks are small enough to stay completely under their parents.
Watch the live stream
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About the bald eagle livestream
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Live images get from the nest high above Big Bear Lake to your eyeballs via a pair of cameras — one that provides close-ups of the nest, and another trained on the tree Jackie and Shadow roost in.
- The rig runs off a 24-volt solar system with ethernet cables for the cameras.
- The cameras move incredibly slowly — about one or two degrees per second — so as to not disturb the animals living around it.
- The one closest to the nest has been covered in a smoked dome to conceal the lens.
- A low-intensity infrared light allows viewers to see the nest at night. The light itself isn't visible to the eagles, us humans, or the nest’s recurring guest star, Fiona the flying squirrel.
- The cameras are operated by three anonymous Friends of Big Bear Valley volunteers, including one in Europe who handles the late shift.
The biggest potential threat to the chicks will be if another storm comes in a few weeks.
“They're going to reach a point, especially if there's 3, even if there's 2, that they all can't fit under an adult,” Sharpe said. “If they can't really get under the adult for warmth, then they're partially exposed. I think they just get a bit too cold.”
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