Both eggs belonging to bald eagle couple Jackie and Shadow look to be hatching.

One of the eggs the famous California birds were protecting began to show signs of hatching on April 3. Then on April 4, the chick “popped its head out of the shell to say a happy hatch day to mom and dad,” said Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit group that erected and monitors the Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam, a live feed of the birds on Facebook.

While that egg “is still in the process of hatching, it is not considered hatched until (the chick) is completely free of the egg shell,” the group noted. Some activity was seen with the other egg as “it also appears that the second egg has a pip,” the first obvious crack in the shell, the group said. “It is not well defined as of this morning, but we will likely see more progress throughout the day.”

The head of an eaglet is seen having emerged from one of the eggs being protected on April 4, 2026, by famous bald eagles Jackie and Shadow in California.

The head of an eaglet is seen having emerged from one of the eggs being protected on April 4, 2026, by famous bald eagles Jackie and Shadow in California.

Jackie and Shadow rebound from tragic loss

The potential for two eaglets would be a satisfying result for Jackie and Shadow, who lost their first clutch of eggs laid during the 2025-2026 breeding season in January after ravens breached their nest.

They have been guarding this pair of eggs for more than a month after Jackie laid them Feb. 24 and Feb. 27.

Back in 2016, the preservation group set up a webcam in Big Bear Lake Forest, located a hundred miles northeast of Los Angeles. Over the years, Jackie and Shadow have grown an internet flock and there’s been plenty of drama including Shadow chasing off another male in 2018.

The couple welcomed chicks in 2019 and 2022, but lost eggs in 2023 and 2024. Then in 2025, two eaglets survived from three eggs laid.

See bald eagle couple Jackie and Shadow and their life in the wild

1 of 11

Jackie and Shadow, the two viral bald eagles who call Southern California their home, pictured in their nest on Jan. 19, 2026. In a Facebook post, Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that runs 24/7 cameras and livestreams of the eagles and their habitat, said Jackie laid her first eggs of 2026 in the couple’s nest inside the San Bernardino National Forest on Jan. 23, and again on Jan. 26.

In February 2025, Jackie laid three eggs. At the time, both bald eagles were seen on video rotating shifts, sitting on the eggs and caring for one another. The couple is doing the same thing almost a year later.

Watch eaglet head emerge from first of Jackie and Shadow’s two eggs

You can see the head of one of the pips having popped out on the video posted on Facebook by the Friends of Big Bear Valley. You can hear some chirps and then are able to see the chick’s head has emerged. Then, Jackie moves to protect it.

The activity led to lively chat on Facebook and the nest cam’s YouTube Channel.

“I can’t turn it off today. I know the minute I do it’s going to break out of that shell!” posted one follower on Facebook.

“They just shift changed and the 2nd pip is clearly visible! How exciting!” said another.

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at  mikegsnider  &  @mikegsnider.bsky.social  &  @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch Jackie and Shadow’s first 2026 eaglet’s head sighting