While “pip watch” doesn’t officially start for another two weeks, Jackie and Shadow, a pair of bald eagles in Big Bear Valley caring for their three eggs much to the delight of live nest cam viewers across the globe, continue to show the world just how much they love each other.
The couple’s roost, located about 145 feet up in a Jeffrey Pine tree in Big Bear Valley in the San Bernardino Mountains, is more than five feet wide and six feet deep, according to Sandy Steers with Friends of Big Bear Valley , the organization that operates the live cams.
Watchers can tell the bald eagles apart because Jackie is larger, her beak is both longer and thicker and her wingspan is over 7 feet. Shadow’s wingspan is 6.5 feet.
“Pip watch” refers to the tiny cracks eaglets make in their eggs with their beaks as they start to hatch. With an incubation period of around 35 days, Steers said Feb. 29 is when viewers should start looking for pips.
“Since their three eggs were laid in January, they have had moments where they have been tested by outside influences and each one has been there for the other,” Friends of Big Bear Valley said on their Facebook page.