After several years of disappointment, there was a sign on Sunday that the Big Bear Bald Eagle Jackie and Shadow couple may soon have a newborn baby.
The friends of Big Bear Valley announced the discovery on Sunday afternoon: “Initial Pip was confirmed today at 3:09 pm.” (Except that this line was in capital letters.)
This is an exciting period for the conservation group, which operates the 24 -hour webcam which shows the 145 -foot high of the Eagles nest in a Jeffrey pine overlooking Big Bear Lake.
Fans who have been on Pip Watch are on the Moon. Picoting is when a baby bird uses its beak to open its shell, and Pip Watch is the online vigil and Hoopla surrounding this activity.
“Tears of joy !!!” replied one on Facebook. “It was a roller coaster of emotions in the past two years.”
“Oh please go out small !!!!” wrote another.
In 2023, the eggs of Jackie and Shadow were eaten by the crows. And last winter also had sorrow. The pair added a third rare egg to their clutch at the end of January, but the cold was serious. At one point, a storm kept Jackie on her nest for 62 hours in a row, sometimes completely covered with snow.
In winter 2024, the Jackie white head pygargue released under the snow that fell during a serious storm.
(Friends of Big Bear Valley)
The low levels of high altitude oxygen are one of the reasons why the friends of the Big Bear Valley suspect the three Jackie eggs in hatching last year. Cold and snowy winters and rainfall also decrease the chances of survival of young Aiglets.
White -headed pygargue eggs generally have 50 to 50 chances of hatching, according to Sandy Steers, biologist and executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley. Once hatched, less than 50% of Aiglets survive their first year, according to American Eagle Foundation.
But Hope Springs Eternal, and the couple again had a surprising three -year clutch this year.
“Even when there is a PIP, it will take at least a day – sometimes longer – so that the chick has fun,” said Steers to Times during the PIP 2024 watch. “With nature, we must be patient. This can teach us to breathe and take advantage of the process instead of focusing on the result. »»
On Sunday, around 10 p.m., more than 8,000 viewers watched a sleeping white pygargue sit on its nest in the middle of the snow.
The eagle woke up and rocked its feathers, stirring the straw surrounding the egg trio while the Zooma camera. Then the eagle reinstalled, swing gently from front to back at the top of the eggs.
The staff writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.
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