Ever since I saw my first webcam, I became fascinated by them. I think it’s amazing that you can see live video from places all over the world. But they’re not just for checking out far-flung destinations. I always check a local beach webcam before we pack up the car, just to make sure it’s sunny, and not too windy or crowded.
I used to feature a live webcam from around the world every day in my newsletter (you can subscribe for free) but I stopped once I’d gone through all the good ones and it was a struggle to find something new. However, I might have to bring them back since it’s been a couple of years and there are more popping up, including very unique ones.
One of the most amazing webcams I’ve found has been getting a lot of attention on the local L.A. news and by the looks of it, from around the world, since every time I log on there are thousands of people viewing it. The Big Bear Bald Eagle Live Nest (embedded above) is located in Big Bear, California, about a 90-minute drive from downtown Los Angeles.
The webcam features two wild bald eagles named Jackie and Shadow, who are Big Bear Lake residents. According to Big Bear’s tourism website, “Each year, the duo returns to their nest in the valley to prep for a new round of eggs and hatchlings. The Friends of the Big Bear Valley non-profit organization maintains the famous Big Bear Eagle Cam that draws thousands of viewers year-round to watch the life and times of Jackie & Shadow.”
The eagles’ nest has been around since the fall of 2013 but don’t think about trying to visit. The surrounding area is closed off to the public annually to protect the eagles.
Last year, I took a few screenshots to show my kids how absolutely beautiful the snow was.
This shot is really incredible:
In this shot, the eagle’s eggs are completely covered in snow:
Besides it being so beautiful, the big reason it’s been such a huge draw is that there are three eggs in the nest. One local news headline read “Bald eagle mom protects eggs for 62 hours during CA snowstorm.”
The Friends of Big Bear Valley who run the camera post often on their Facebook page. Two days ago (January 25), Sandy Steers, the executive director, wrote: “And egg #2 is here! Jackie believes in being right on schedule. She and her body have decided that eggs come 3 days apart (3-5 days is the average for bald eagles). And she keeps right to that time table—she has in the past laid eggs exactly to the minute 3 days apart. Tonight, she was 20-minutes early and egg 2 came at 16:45 … egg 1, 3 days ago, came at 17:05. Tonight, the heavy winds were rocking the nest tree pretty intensely as Jackie incubated egg 1…almost like a baby cradle rocking its precious cargo. Just before 16:40, the feathers on Jackie’s head stood up, the first sign that the process was moving forward. As it continued, Jackie rose up from the egg, and more and more of her feathers puffed up away from her body…her wings dropped to her sides…her eyes got that ‘dreamy,’ half-closed look. Jackie soon started her ‘tea-kettling’, as the sounds of her concentrated pushing effort escaped through her beak. The sounds were soft, but could still be heard over the noisy blowing of the wind. Her tail pumped up and down, assisting with the effort…and after nearly 5 minutes of pushing, Jackie’s back hunched up into one super strong last push……then she stopped pushing…she looked down…her feathers started settling. It took her a moment to recover…and Jackie raised her wing to reveal her new treasure!…a second, still-moist egg lay huddled beside the first.
Jackie immediately went to work, rolling that new egg and softening the nest bowl around it by efficiently breaking those tiny twigs with her strong beak. She kept working as the wind swirled in the background….
…and when everything was softened to Jackie’s satisfaction, she gathered her two precious eggs up under her into her brood patch and settled down to incubate for the night. She will be warm enough in the coming snow storm with her over 7000 waterproof feathers and thick layer of down underneath them. And she knows exactly how to care for her beautiful new eggs.”
Well, the snow is here, and above is a screenshot I just took.
I’m sure you will be as in awe as I am if you log on during daylight hours. At night, it’s nothing special. Let me know what you think of it and if you love any other cool webcams (doesn’t have to be animal-related).
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