Visitors are reminded that the area around the nest is closed
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — The second egg of the 2020 season has been laid at a Big Bear area bald eagle nest made popular by a live webcam feed. The egg was laid at approximately 5:09 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11, to the delight of thousands of live viewers. The first egg of the season was laid on Thursday evening at approximately 5:30 p.m.
“We are very excited to see bald eagles continuing to successfully reside and raise young in this part of the forest,” said Marc Stamer, district ranger for the Mountaintop Ranger District. “But that success is shared by the public who continue to adhere to an area closure around the nest.”
Bald eagles are known to abandon nests, eggs and young when feeling threatened by human activities. A forest order has prohibited entry into the Grays Peak area since Dec. 1, 2019, and will continue until nesting activities have concluded in the spring or summer. Snow play and off-trail use in the area is not allowed, nor is using the lower section of the Grays Peak Trail and Grout Bay Picnic Area. A map of the closure can be seen here (page 2).
People curious about the nesting activities can tune in anytime, day or night, to the live webcam feed provided by the nonprofit Friends of the Big Bear Valley, which installed a camera in 2016. Viewers will see the parents, nicknamed Jackie and Shadow by locals, sharing incubation duties and may catch the young eagles hatch after the typical 35-day incubation period, putting it around Valentine’s Day.
For more information about bald eagles and viewing opportunities, call the Forest Service 909-382-2790.