Eagle cam livestream: Watch as world awaits hatching of bald eagle eggs in Big Bear Valley

Emilee Coblentz, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read
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A camera positioned 145 feet up a Jeffrey pine is ready to capture the moment that thousands of eagle enthusiasts are hopeful for: a hatch.

Celebrity eagles Jackie and Shadow are protecting their three eggs in Big Bear Valley in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California, and being monitored by Friends of Big Bear Valley, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides the live video feed.

You can watch the nest live at the video embed at the top of the page. Friends of Big Bear Valley provides written updates about the hopeful hatch on its Facebook page.

Organizers shared a heartbreaking update Thursday, saying the first of the three eggs was "probably not" viable.

  • Egg 1 was laid on Jan. 25

  • Egg 2 was laid on Jan. 28

  • Egg 3 was laid on Jan. 31

The incubating period is typically 38 to 43 days, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley, but the hatchings at Big Bear have shown to come early, somewhere between 35 to 39 days, the organization wrote online. March 8 marked 43 days since Jan. 25.

'Way to go, Jackie!'

Jackie and Shadow keep an eye on a rival eagle from their nest in Big Bear Valley in mountains two hours northeast of Los Angeles. The bald eagle couple have been busy watching over two eggs and weathering a series of strong winter storms.
Jackie and Shadow keep an eye on a rival eagle from their nest in Big Bear Valley in mountains two hours northeast of Los Angeles. The bald eagle couple have been busy watching over two eggs and weathering a series of strong winter storms.

This year's eggs are the couple's first since two eggs failed to hatch last year, USA TODAY previously reported. Since Jackie and Shadow first mated about six years ago, they've had at least 14 eggs, including the newest ones. Of those, only two ultimately survived.

The eagle couple has remained steadfast in nurturing the eggs this time around.

"Thanks to Jackie extending his time with their eggs, Shadow's only shift on Monday ended up being just shy of five and a half hours! Jackie returned for the night shift and Shadow was likely off to roost in one of his favorite perch trees," the organization shared on Facebook Wednesday.

"Jackie chortled loudly at sunset which sounded like it might be a special goodnight to Shadow, their eggs and all their adoring fans."

"Can’t wait to see what comes next! Obviously, we know that Nature is not always kind, but She is always perfect. No matter the outcome, I just so deeply appreciate that we get to witness this!" one fan commented on the post.

"It has just been an incredible journey with this eagle family! I truly hope we get to see some eaglets this season!" another wrote.

Will the eggs make it to the end? The world will know for sure once it's time for them to hatch.

To donate to the work that Friends of Big Bear Valley is doing, visit: https://www.friendsofbigbearvalley.org/donate/

Contributing: Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Big Bear eagle cam livestream: Watch for hatching of bald eagle eggs