Millions watch babies hatch on bald eagle nest live cam

Millions of people tuned in to watch the hatching of two baby eagles in California and are anxiously awaiting a third.

Tens of thousands of people are watching a live video feed of a bald eagle’s nest in southern California as two of three eggs begin hatching Monday.

A non-profit group called Friends of Big Bear Valley, in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles, are livestreaming the nest of two majestic birds of prey – named Jackie and Shadow -- with two different cameras.

One video feed shows a close-up of the nest about 145 feet up in a Jeffrey pine tree and the other camera shows a wider shot of the trees.

Three eggs

The three eggs were each laid three days apart, with the first one laid Jan. 22 and the last on Jan. 28, the group said.

Two of the eggs have pipped -- meaning the eaglets – started breaking out of their shells Sunday.

“Hatching is a very strenuous process that usually takes between one and three days from start to finish. It is a major test for the chick,” Friends of Big Bear Valley said on social media.

“This year, we start Pip Watch on March. Historically, our first egg hatched around 38-39 days but with three eggs it may take a bit longer.”

The first pip happened shortly after 3 p.m. March 2 and the second pip around 8 a.m. March 3.

At one point on Monday, there were more than 56,000 viewers watching the eagles’ live feed.

A group of volunteers maintain a document that details the comings and goings of the bonded pair as well as other details about nest material deliveries.

Two eaglets

One chick hatched just before midnight Tuesday and a second hatched early Tuesday morning.

The last egg has still not pipped.

“And the 3rd egg is still only on Day 34. Normal hatchings are 35-42 days, so still plenty of time to wait and watch what happens with it,” the group said in a post Monday.

There were more than 80,000 viewers watching the live video Tuesday morning when one of the parents was trying to feed the two babies pieces of fish.