Big Bear bald eagles Jackie and Shadow see first eaglet begin to emerge from shell amid 2026 hatching season

BIG BEAR, Calif. () — Fans of the beloved Big Bear bald eagles cheered Saturday as one of Jackie and Shadow’s eaglets began to emerge from its shell.

A surveillance camera, operated by the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley and aimed at the celebrity eagles’ nest, captured live video of the chick’s head protruding from inside the cracked egg.

The development prompted online cheers from fans of the birds of prey.

Little chirps were heard coming from chick on Thursday, indicating that it was able to break the internal membrane of the egg and took its first breath of air. On Friday, a slight crack in the egg’s shell could be seen.

It can take 24 to 48 hours for the chick to fully hatch after breaking through the shell.

The bald eagle couple also have a second egg in their nest. Both were laid in February.