As the stakes climb higher for a family of bald eagles braving the Big Bear Valley, more citizens are getting emotionally invested in the eagle camera. 

The eagle camera is a live stream of a bald eagle nest in Big Bear Valley, Calif., put there by Friends of Big Bear Valley. The camera can be found on their website under the Eagle Nest tab. Two eagle mates (Jackie, 13 years old, and Shadow, 11 years old) laid eggs in late January, which hatched in March, causing many to click onto the livestream in their spare time to see the babies. Anytime, anywhere, you can hop onto the live camera feed and see what the eagles are up to at that moment.

Since the chicklets were born, only two have survived. The third died during a snowstorm on March 15. Several snowstorms swept through the San Bernardino Mountains, bringing over two feet of snow to the area. Though it was a devastating blow to both the eagles and their viewers, the family continues to bravely carry on through the season.

After months of deliberation, all chicklets have been given names by the sponsoring organization. Misty is the chosen name for the chicklet who tragically passed away. Sunny and Gizmo are the remaining birds. The Friends of Big Bear Valley received over 54,000 name suggestions. Local students got to pick from the 30 finalists. 

Though the eagle camera is not wildly popular at Tualatin High School (TuHS), there’s still an interest in other baby animals. Tula-Tu is an Asian elephant calf born at the Oregon Zoo on Feb. 1, and a big topic of conversation. Moo Deng, a hippo born in July 2024, was also very popular for a while. With the school and media paying attention to all these animals, people may start to emotionally invest in their environments and protection as well. 

“I think it’s good to have cute animals to watch,” said sophomore Piper Thayne, a member of the TuHS Climate Change Activism Club. “It gets people to care more about animals and where they live. Also, if they’re in danger. I think a lot of people were really excited about Tula-Tu. It might help raise awareness.”