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'Welcome to the world': 2 of Southern California bald eagle couple's eggs hatch hours apart


The first eaglet hatched on Monday right before midnight, while the other hatched around 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

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The eaglets have finally landed as Southern California's famous bald eagle couple, Jackie and Shadow, have welcomed two new hatchlings.

The moment the first eaglet hatched was captured on the Friends of Big Bear Valley (FBBV) live camera feed around 11:26 p.m. on Monday, according to the nonprofit's Facebook post. Before that day, the couple had three eggs they were preparing to hatch.

“Before midnight, the first chick had its wing and head visible and a short time later, it was out!” FBBV's Facebook post said. “Jackie pushed it back in a bit as she rolled the eggs, but it’s first touch down will be the official hatch time: 23:26, cam time... Welcome to the world, Chick#1!"

The possibility of an egg hatching became apparent on Sunday afternoon when the first pip, a slight crack in the eggshell that is the first sign a chick is working to hatch out, was confirmed, the FBBV said.

"By mid-morning (on Monday), the chick’s beak was visible and tiny chirps could be heard…," according to the San Bernardino County-based nonprofit's Facebook post.

Second eaglet hatched on Tuesday morning

Heading into Tuesday, the second egg was "moving forward quickly on its hatching process," while the third egg remained on Day 34. Bald eagle eggs are laid in early February and take an average of 35 days to hatch, according to East Tennessee State University.

As Paste BN watched the live camera feed of Jackie and Shadow, a second eaglet could be seen emerging from its egg on Tuesday at 4:29 a.m. Now, all that is left to hatch is the final egg.

Why didn't Jackie's and Shadow's eggs hatch last year?

The eaglets' debut comes after the couple missed the 35-day hatching window by a few days last year, according to FBBV.

Sandy Steers, FBBV's executive director, told Paste BN in March 2024 that altitude and temperature may have factored in the couple's eggs failing to hatch.

“As to why the eggs have not hatched, we have no way of knowing," Steers said. "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."

With 2023 being an exception, Jackie and Shadow have been relatively successful at birthing babies with the couple welcoming sets of chicks in 2019 and 2022. Despite losing the eggs last March, the couple kept trying as they swapped places in the nest often and argued over who would tender to the potential offspring, according to the nonprofit.

Contributing: Anthony Robledo & Amaris Encinas/ Paste BN