A pair of bald eagles in California whose storyhas taken the world by storm welcomed two new hatchlings this week.
The eagle parents, a female named Jackie and a male known as Shadow, have been a mating pair since 2018 when Shadow replaced Jackie’s former mate, Mr. B.
Since then, they have hatched three eaglets together in their nest atop a pine tree overlooking Big Bear Lake in Southern California ― Cookie and Simba in 2019, and Spirit in 2022.
The nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley operates a webcam that provides a livestream of the eagles’ nest. The group also documents the goings-on of the avian family on its blog and Facebook page. As of Tuesday afternoon, the nest cam had more than 70,000 viewers.
The eagles have fallen on dark times in recent years. Cookie died in 2019 before becoming old enough to leave the nest, and Simba was reported deceased in 2023. Spirit remains alive, according to the nonprofit.
The avian couple faced yet another tragedy in 2023 when their eggs were eaten by ravens, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Jackie laid another three eggs again in January 2024, but none hatched. Despite the series of misfortunes, Jackie and Shadow remained visibly devoted to one another.
In January this year, fans of the eagle couple learned that Jackie had laid another set of three eggs.
On Sunday, one of the eggs began to pip, or crack, and show signs of hatching. Just before midnight on Monday, one eaglet had fully hatched, and the family was greeted by a second early Tuesday morning, the nonprofit wrote alongside a video showing the emerging chick.
Go Ad-Free — And Protect The Free Press
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
“Shadow called from a distance and Jackie seemed to be happily announcing that he was now Papa to 2 new fluffy chicks!” the post read. “He couldn’t wait to see them, so dropped in right at sunrise…and got his first look at his 2 gorgeous babies. He looked back and forth over them a few times before even moving in to settle on top.”
The nonprofit noted that it’s normal for eggs to take 35 to 42 days to hatch. Tuesday marks day 34, meaning that there is “still plenty of time to wait and watch,” the group wrote.