Big Bear's beloved bald eagle pair Jackie and Shadow have reached an exciting milestone in their nesting journey as their egg showed its first signs of hatching on Sunday afternoon.
The Friends of Big Bear Valley, which operates the popular 24-hour nest camera, confirmed the initial "pip" - the first crack made by a developing chick breaking through its shell - at 3:09 PM. The news brought overwhelming joy to thousands of dedicated viewers who have followed the eagles' story through years of challenges.
"Oh please come out little one!!!!" wrote an excited fan on Facebook, while another shared their emotional connection: "It's been a roller coaster of emotions the last couple years."
The path to this moment hasn't been easy for the eagle pair. In 2023, their eggs fell prey to ravens. The previous winter brought additional hardships when Jackie endured 62 hours of continuous nest duty during a severe storm, completely buried in snow at times while protecting a rare clutch of three eggs that ultimately didn't hatch.
This year, the resilient couple produced another exceptional three-egg clutch. According to Sandy Steers, biologist and executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, bald eagle eggs typically have a 50% chance of hatching. For eaglets that do hatch, survival rates through their first year fall below 50%.
As of Sunday night, more than 8,000 viewers watched the livestream as one of the parent eagles tended to the eggs, periodically adjusting position and fluffing the surrounding nest material.
Steers reminds eager viewers that patience is key: "Even when there's a pip, it's going to take at least a day - sometimes longer - for the chick to hatch. With nature, we need to be patient. It can teach us to just breathe and enjoy the process instead of focusing on the result."