Live camera footage from a bald eagle nest in Southern California has gone viral, capturing hundreds of thousands of views this week.
The Friends of Big Bear Valley nonprofit has been sharing two 24/7 livestreams of the bald eagle nest in the San Bernardino Mountains.
The nest is the home of bald eagles Jackie and Shadow. The pair gained worldwide popularity back in 2023 when the camera showed the couple with two eggs. At the time, the eggs failed to hatch, but three years later, Jackie and Shadow were spotted with three new eggs in their nest.
All eyes on bald eagle family as they expand nest
On Monday morning, eagle-eyed camera watchers spotted two pipping birds, as cracks in two of the three eggs began to appear. By Monday night, a baby eagle, or eaglet, hatched from one of the three eggs.
A second eaglet began to hatch on Tuesday afternoon.
"Chick #2 has joined [the] party!" Friends of Big Bear Valley shared in a Facebook post at the time. "By the wee hours this morning, Chick #1 had become a fluffy fuzz ball as it's downy covering dried into a soft gray coat. Then Chick #2 started 'zippering' its way out of the shell."
According to the nonprofit, "zippering" is "the final stage of hatching, as the little one pokes its egg tooth against the shell and uses its feet to spin it around and break a nearly straight line around the shell to crack it fully open."
Bald eagle numbers soar to new heights in WisconsinHatch watch continues for the third of Jackie and Shadow's eggs, the group said.
"This evening is only now Day 35 for egg#3, which is the beginning of its pip watch," the nonprofit wrote on Facebook. "We will be eagerly watching for signs of pipping in that egg as we enjoy the glimpses of Jackie and Shadow's newly arrived bundles of joy."
Since 2007, bald eagles are no longer considered endangered, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. However, they remain a protected species, and it is unlawful to harm, kill or sell bald eagles, their nests or eggs.
