2 Big Bear bald eagle chicks hatch on livestream
After weeks of patiently waiting and nesting, a pair of bald eagles welcomed their first chick on Sunday and their second on Monday -- in front of the eyes of many excited livestream viewers.
Eagle couple Jackie and Shadow of Big Bear Lake, California, painstakingly cared for their two eggs over the past five weeks, switching off duties like good parents. The typical gestation period for an eagle egg is 35 days and the pair's eagle nest is being livestreamed by Friends of Big Bear Valley, which initially installed a camera in 2015.
Friends of Big Bear Valley began suspecting one of the eggs had a "pip" -- meaning a chick was beginning to break through -- on Friday, the nonprofit's Facebook updates show.
By Sunday morning, it was clear a chick was on its way. On duty, Shadow, the dad, was "very antsy" and couldn't "seem to relax," Friends of Big Bear Valley wrote on Facebook. "Nervous first time dad!" the group added.
With Shadow still on watch, the chick was born Sunday and in clear view of the camera, much to viewers' delight.
But the excitement wasn't over yet for the young parents or their human fans. While Shadow and Jackie fed their newborn, who is already getting stronger, viewers spied a pip on the second egg.
By Monday afternoon, the second chick had emerged.
Friends of Big Bear Valley reported on Facebook the first chick was "less of a bobblehead" Monday night, meaning it was getting stronger, while the second chick was "still a rollypolly," getting used to existing outside of an egg.
Of course, where there are newborns, there are need for names, and so Friends of Big Bear Valley announced a contest to name them. Fans can submit suggestions on the group's website until April 21. From there, 25 names will be randomly drawn and third grade classes in Big Bear Valley will get to vote.
Parents Jackie and Shadow are both 5 years old, per Friends of Big Bear Valley, and Jackie has laid eggs before. Two of her chicks were born in 2018, but only one, named Stormy by a group of third graders, survived to live outside of the nest.
