Big Bear Eaglet Naming Contest Is Reminder Of Wildlife Wonders

BIG BEAR, CA — Fans of California bald eagles have the sweetest opportunity to support them while having fun and giving local third-graders a real thrill as part of a naming contest.

On March 3, a worldwide star was born in Big Bear. Lifelong partners Shadow and Jackie — a pair of bald eagles who live in the area — were the proud parents of a fuzzy gray chick who emerged from its egg.

The little eaglet has been cherished from across the globe thanks to an Eagle Nest Cam that has captured the family's nearly every move — from papa Shadow sitting on the nest for the hatching to mama Jackie's first feeding of the tiny bird to Wednesday night's big fish dinner. Watch live:

The recounting of the action by Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam can be captivating for those who care about area wildlife:

"This morning Shadow had his first solo feeding session with his new chick, and he did great!" according to a March 5 post from the nonprofit's Facebook page. "We didn’t expect anything less. He also brought in another nice-sized catfish which mom and baby do appreciate, the pantry is nicely stocked.

"The chick is eating well, larger bites and less faceplants… It is learning so fast, it must be an eagle chick genius and cute as a button too…yes, we are a bit biased. The snow kept coming, the winds kept blowing, but you can see how nice and dry Jackie kept the nest bowl, and the chick and egg warm and toasty."

The chick is an only child. Sadly, its sibling never hatched and the egg remains in the nest where it will biodegrade.

As of Wednesday, the hatched eaglet was 13 days old and growing fast. No surprise given the doting parents' care and round-the-clock fresh-catch meals. Friends of Big Bear Valley hasn't named the creature yet, but that will soon change.

For a small donation, anyone can enter the Friends of Big Bear Valley naming contest for the chick whose gender is unknown. The contest will end March 25 and at that point 35 names will be randomly drawn from all entries. The lucky 35 will then be handed over to a judging panel of Big Bear 3rd-grade classrooms. It will be up to the kids to decide the eaglet’s name.

As a bonus, all entries will be entered into a random drawing for the following prizes (the more names you submit, the better your chances and, yes, you can submit the same name multiple times!):

Grand Prize: naming the 2022 eagle chick
2nd Prize: 16”x 20” framed painting of Jackie and Shadow (painted and donated by artist Becky Feltman)
3rd Prize: eagle tapestry
4th Prize: 5”x7” framed picture of Jackie 2019
5th Prize: 5”x7” framed picture of local eagle in flight
6th Prize: 2015-2020 Friends of Big Bear Valley photo book
7th Prize: Jackie and Shadow plush eagles

Click this link to see Becky Feltman’s painting and the other prizes. Click here to enter the contest.

Proceeds from the contest will go to Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam. The nonprofit's mission is "to protect and preserve the natural habitat of Big Bear Valley through education, monitoring and advocacy about its value and community benefit."

For those who want to donate to the nonprofit, visit friendsofbigbearvalley.org for more information.