Biologists on ChickWatch as Next Bald Eagle Count Approaches

 All eyes are on the nest of a pair of bald eagles near Big Bear Lake as the anticipated hatching of two eggs nears. The eggs, one of which has opened up, were laid in early January and have begun to hatch sometime last week. The nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley installed a “nest cam” with the support of the San Bernardino National Forest. The livestream can be viewed at http://www.iws.org/livecams.html (Select “Big Bear Eagle Cam, Big Bear Lake). The nest is located on U.S. Forest Service managed land. To protect the eagles from disturbance, the area surrounding the nest is completely closed to all public entry. The public was invited to join local biologists on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018. They helped count bald eagles wintering around six Inland Empire lakes. Observers met at one of the count locations for a short orientation and then they proceeded to their observation sites where they recorded their observations between 9 and 10 a.m. Then they returned to the meeting location to turn in the data sheet. The biologists used that data to determine the minimum number of eagles in the area. No experience was needed. Signing up ahead of time was unnecessary.   The annual bald eagle counts take place every winter for four months. The next and last one of the season will be Saturday, March 10, 2018.