There are cracks! Watch as one of Jackie and Shadow’s eggs begins to hatch.
Live footage from Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear captured one of Jackie and Shadow’s eggs beginning to hatch.
Bald eagle couple Jackie and Shadow’s eggs both appear to be hatching.
One of the eggs protected by California’s famous bird began showing signs of hatching on April 3rd. Then, on April 4, the chick “peeled out of its shell to celebrate hatching day with mom and dad,” said Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit group that installed and monitors the Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam, which streams live footage of the birds on Facebook.
The eggs “are still in the process of hatching, but are not considered hatched until[the chicks]are completely removed from the egg shell,” the research group noted. Other eggs also showed some activity, and “the second egg also appears to have the first obvious crack in its shell,” the researchers said. “As of this morning, it’s not clearly defined, but we’ll probably see further developments throughout the day.”
Jackie and Shadow recover from tragic loss
For Jackie and Shadow, the possibility of having two eagles would be a satisfying outcome. Jackie and Shadow lost their first eggs of the 2025-2026 breeding season in January when crows invaded their nest.
They have been guarding the pair’s eggs for more than a month since Jackie laid her eggs on February 24th and February 27th.
Back in 2016, conservation groups installed webcams in Big Bear Lake Forest, located 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Over the years, Jackie and Shadow have grown a flock on the internet, and there has been a lot of drama, including Shadow chasing away another male in 2018.
The couple welcomed chicks in 2019 and 2022, but lost eggs in 2023 and 2024. In 2025, two eagles survived from the three eggs laid.
See the eagle head emerging from the beginning of Jackie’s and Shadow’s two eggs.
In a video posted to Facebook by friends at Big Bear Valley, one of the animals’ heads can be seen popping out. You can hear the chick’s cry and see the chick’s head emerge. Then Jackie moves to protect it.
The activity sparked lively chats on Facebook and the Nest Cam’s YouTube channel.
“I can’t turn off today. I know I’ll break out of that shell the moment I turn it off!” posted one follower on Facebook.
“Just a shift change and the second pip is clearly visible. How exciting!” said another.
Mike Snyder is a national trends news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, and email him at: mike snyder & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.
