California bald eagle couple Jackie and Shadow lay 3 new eggs after last year's loss
Celebrity bald eagle couple Jackie and Shadow are preparing to hatch triplets in their Southern California nest following last year's heartbreaking unsuccessful hatch.
Last March, the couple sadly missed the 35-day hatching window by a few days, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino County-based non-profit that runs a 24-hour live feed of the eagles. However, the tragedy has not impacted their conceiving patterns.
Now the pair are once again expecting again after laying three eggs that they have been guarding carefully, Friends of Big Bear Valley confirmed on Facebook this month. The parents have taken rotating shifts sitting on the eggs while also watching after each other.
Fans of the it-couple have long watched the birds in their natural habitat through the Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam on Facebook. Jackie is often seen doing yoga stretches, egg rolls and nest softening amid incubation periods, while Shadow can be seen bringing home fish and sticks.
"Jackie and Shadow have been extraordinary in their great care of their 3 eggs, patiently taking turns sitting on the eggs and sticking close to the nest even when it’s not their turn," Friends of Big Bear Valley wrote on Monday. "Both Jackie and Shadow seem to be getting more patient with the incubation, with each other and with the quiet waiting."
Last year's eggs failed to hatch in time
Social media fans were devastated last year when Jackie and Shadow's eggs failed to hatch during the 35-day watching window.
It was unclear why the eggs failed to hatch, with Friends of Big Bear Valley Executive Director Sandy Steers confirming to Paste BN last March that altitude and temperature were among possible factors.
“As to why the eggs have not hatched, we have no way of knowing," Steers wrote last year. "It could be environmental, such as temperatures, humidity percentages, oxygen levels at high altitude, etc. It could be biological with something just being off at the time the eggs were created."
Have the pair welcomed chicks before?
Jackie and Shadow previously welcomed sets of chicks in 2019 and 2022 so fans know the two are not infertile, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley. However, the pair lost two eggs in 2023 and then three last March.
The losses have never stopped the two from trying. With each set of eggs the two eagles routinely switch places, argue over whose turn it is while gently tendering to their potential offspring, the non-profit said.
Friends of Big Bear Valley encourage fans to watch their live feeds in the hopes of witnessing a successful hatch.
"Jackie and Shadow will continue to brood the hatchling and the remaining eggs, making sure they stay warm enough," the group wrote on Tuesday.