Big Bear\u2019s famous bald eagles \u2014 Jackie and Shadow \u2014 appear to be welcoming a new chick into the world.<\/p>\n
The first pip, or crack, was spotted in one of the feathered duo\u2019s two eggs around 10 a.m. Friday, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley<\/a>, the nonprofit that runs a popular YouTube livestream of the nest overlooking Big Bear Lake.<\/p>\n More than 26,000 people were watching the livestream shortly after the organization confirmed a pip had been spotted, which signals that an eaglet is starting to poke its way out of the egg shell.<\/p>\n \u201cYesterday afternoon, evening and throughout the night we heard little chirps coming from the chick,\u201d Friends of Big Bear Valley wrote on Facebook<\/a> to more than a million followers. \u201cThis indicates that the chick was able to break the internal membrane and took its first breath of air.\u201d<\/p>\n Keep up with LAist.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, you’ll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less. <\/p>\n As of Friday, the first egg is around 38 days old<\/a> and the second egg is about 35 days old<\/a>. Jackie and Shadow’s usual incubation timeline is around 38 to 40 days, according to the nonprofit.<\/p>\n There\u2019s still time for the second egg to show signs of hatching, and a pip could be confirmed in the coming days.<\/p>\n What we know<\/p>\n Jenny Voisard, the organization\u2019s media manager, told LAist earlier this week that hatching is an arduous process for chicks that takes some time.<\/p>\n For example, last season, the first chick hatched more than a day after the initial pip was confirmed, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley records<\/a>. The second chick hatched about a day after pipping as well, and the third chick worked its way out into the world about two days after the first crack was confirmed.<\/p>\n The chicks may look like little blobs of gray fluff at first, but they grow quickly, as fans saw with Jackie and Shadow\u2019s eaglets last year. One of last season\u2019s trio of chicks, believed to be the eldest and most dominant sibling, died during a winter storm<\/a> within weeks of hatching.<\/p>\n \n In March 2025, Jackie and Shadow welcomed two eaglet chicks with one remaining egg in their nest.\n <\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Friends of Big Bear Valley<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n YouTube<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n \n Jackie and Shadow’s three chicks on March 7, 2025. One of the chicks later died, while Sunny and Gizmo successfully fledged a few months later.\n <\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Friends of Big Bear Valley<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n YouTube<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n \n Jackie and Shadow’s eaglets during a feeding of fish in April 2025.\n <\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Friends of Big Bear Valley<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n YouTube<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n \n Sunny and Gizmo in Big Bear’s famous bald eagle nest on Friday, April 18, 2025.\n <\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Friends of Big Bear Valley<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n YouTube<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n Viewers watched as the surviving eaglets, Sunny and Gizmo<\/a>, grew from a few ounces to several pounds in a matter of months before fledging<\/a>, or taking their first flight<\/a> away from the nest, last June.<\/p>\n But any chicks arriving this season will have to learn how to feed before they can fly.<\/p>\n The initial meals may be a bit awkward while the chicks learn to sit up straight. Jackie and Shadow could start feeding the chicks the same day they hatch, typically tearing off pieces of fish or raw meat and holding it up to their beaks.<\/p>\n Bald eagles don\u2019t regurgitate food for their young, unlike other birds. But the feathered parents do pass along a “substantial amount of saliva\u201d full of electrolytes and antibodies to their chicks during feedings, according to the nonprofit<\/a>.<\/p>\n Voisard said new life coming to the nest is a reminder \u201cwhy it\u2019s so important to conserve their lands.\u201d<\/p>\n Big Bear fundraiser<\/p>\n