Viral Big Bear Eagles Jackie and Shadow Welcome New Chicks After Difficult Season
Imagine watching a baby bird take its very first breath. That is exactly what thousands of people witnessed over the weekend as bald eagle parents Jackie and Shadow welcomed two tiny eaglets into the world at their nest in Big Bear Valley.
The exciting news was shared by Friends of Big Bear Valley, the organization that watches over the eagle family through a live nest camera.
Jackie and Shadow’s Weekend of Wonder
The first eaglet hatched at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Saturday. But hatching is not as quick as you might think. Earlier that day, the organization noted that a bird is not considered fully hatched until it is completely free from its shell.
Before that moment, fans watching the camera got a thrilling peek at the new arrival.
“The chick has popped its head out of the shell to say a happy hatch day to mom and dad!” a Facebook post said.
That same post also noted that the second egg had begun to pip — and that is a wonderful word to learn. According to the organization, a “pip” is when a chick breaks through the internal membrane, breaches the shell and takes its first breath of air. They added that it can take 24 to 48 hours for a chick to fully hatch after this stage.
Sure enough, the second eaglet hatched just before 9 a.m. on Sunday, about 12 hours after the first. Friends of Big Bear Valley confirmed both chicks appeared healthy.
Proud Parents Jackie and Shadow on Duty
What happens next for Jackie and Shadow? Lots and lots of feeding. The group said the parents would feed the eaglets small pieces of fish or other prey. It is a big job — after hatching, eaglets grow quickly and can reach approximately three feet in size in just over two months. That means these tiny hatchlings will grow to roughly the height of a young child in a remarkably short time.
Following the second hatching, Shadow returned to the nest, and his reaction melted hearts. Volunteers said he appeared “quite proud and didn’t waste any time snuggling in for daddy duty.”
This happy ending came after a difficult start to the nesting season. Jackie and Shadow previously raised eaglets in 2019, 2022 and 2025. Earlier this season, the pair laid four eggs, but two were destroyed during a raven attack. Jackie later laid a second clutch of eggs on Feb. 24 and Feb. 27. A “clutch” is the name for a group of eggs laid together — another fun word for young nature lovers to remember.
Those two eggs are the ones that made it, and the result is two healthy eaglets.
How the Eaglets Get Their Names
One of the most heartwarming traditions surrounding this eagle family involves local children. Despite calls from the public to name one of the chicks Sandy, after late wildlife activist Sandy Steers, who helped spearhead the FOBBV nest camera, the organization said that the naming process would remain the same as always with a vote by local third graders.
They said that the process was something that brought Steers great joy over her “years of tireless environmental work in the valley and her love for the eagles.”
So somewhere in Big Bear, a classroom of eight- and nine-year-olds will soon have the special honor of choosing the names for these two new arrivals.
The eagles are monitored through a live nest camera operated by Friends of Big Bear Valley, which has documented the pair for several years. Families can tune in and watch as Jackie and Shadow feed, protect and raise their growing eaglets — a front-row seat to one of nature’s most remarkable stories of parenthood.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
