The hatching was initially expected to start around 4:55 p.m. Feb. 29, according to the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley, who provide live updates on social media, but the moment came and went with the eggs still intact.
During the hatching process when a baby chick needs more air—as oxygen in the egg membrane is depleted—it uses a small protrusion, or “egg tooth,” on top of its beak to poke through the egg membrane and create an internal pip.
When it pokes through the eggshell, it creates an external pip, the group explains. The Friends’ Facebook page has nearly 670,000 followers.
“The initial pip usually looks like a small raise, often shaped like a star, and is only visible when the camera is zoomed in. The eggs may have some dirt smudges or fluff stuck on them—those are not pips,” they said in the Instagram post.
However, one difference is that these eggs are the couple’s first “full three-egg clutch,” and this time the first egg received “considerably more delayed” incubation time because of the other eggs.
Baby chicks weigh about 3 ounces when hatched and need warmth from their parents until they grow thicker “natal,” a light gray fur, which takes about two weeks, they added.
Thanks to one wide angle and one close-up camera, the eagle nest can be viewed 24/7 on the nonprofit’s YouTube channel.
