How Big Bear’s bald eagle live cam took America by storm at exactly the perfect moment

From the Three Graces in ancient Greek and Roman mythology to the Three Wise Men in the Bible, the number three has been revered throughout history as a symbol of balance and harmony.

Jackie and Shadow, the internet-famous bald eagles of Big Bear, California, would probably agree—their last egg has officially hatched, bringing their final chick count this season to three.

These little fluffs might not have names yet but that hasn’t stopped 1.73 million people and counting from following their journey. Let’s break down the numbers and timeline of Chick 3’s arrival in the nest.

The webcam that captured the attention of the world

The bald eagle live streams are run by a nonprofit called Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV). Little did this small-but-mighty group of staff and volunteers know how many people their efforts would reach.

According to Jenny Voisard, FOBBV’s media and website manager, a record-breaking 100,000 people concurrently tuned into the camera’s live stream at one point this year to cheer on the expecting parents. FOBBV’s website received 950,000 unique visitors in a week, causing it to crash a couple of times. It now has a dedicated server to handle all the love.

Meanwhile, all this attention also translates to social media followers. Across all channels, the organization has a whopping 1.73 million followers. Its Instagram just launched and already has more than 46,000 fans. The public Facebook page has close to one million followers, with some posts being shared 15,000 times.

And let’s not forget the YouTube channel, with almost 500,000 subscribers. It’s fair to say if you love these bald eagles, you are in good company.

The hatching journey of chick No. 3

The third and final egg was laid on January 28. The average incubation period for a bald eagle is around 35 days, so fans had to be patient. On March 6 at 10:21 a.m., a snowy cold morning in Big Bear, the first pip, or crack, was spotted.

By 10:53 a.m. it had grown.

It’s normal for the hatching process to take a couple of days and this was no exception. Additionally, the snowy conditions forced Jackie to stay firmly on the nest to keep her babies warm and out of sight. At 2:11 a.m. on March 8, the chick was visible, dry, but not quite of the shell. By 6:13 a.m. Chick 3 completed its journey into the world and was present for the early morning feeding.

Since its birth, Chick 3 has received multiple feedings from its parents. Its eyesight is still developing, so sometimes it takes a moment to get situated.

It has also experienced some danger: Ravens have attempted to infiltrate the nest, but Jackie called out to Shadow, and the parents worked together to scare the intruders away. The neighborhood flying squirrel Fiona also tried to visit, but Jackie’s wing slaps got her to mind her own business.

Chick 3 will have to learn to get along with its siblings. It is normal to see some jostling around as one chick emerges as the dominant sibling. They will also bonk each other on the head but soon find their rhythm and pecking order.

At around 10 to 12 weeks, these eaglets will fledge or leave the nest for the first time. They typically hang out close to home for a couple months before they completely strike out on their own.

To catch them before then, watch the webcam embedded below.

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