It’s an Easter Sunday to remember for Big Bear bald eagles Jackie and Shadow, who welcomed a pair of eagles this weekend in front of 2.5 million social media followers.
The first chick hatched at 11:33 p.m. late Saturday, while the second hatched at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit group that maintains the pair’s webcam.
The cam has followed Jackie and Shadow, who have been mating since 2018, and has made the birds celebrities around the world and regular fixtures of morning TV shows.
This livestream is believed to be the most viewed of any nature cam on YouTube all year long.
According to Jenny Voisard, media manager for Friends of Big Bear Valley, both children will be named by third-grade students at a school in Big Bear.
Observers on Friday noticed what appeared to be a hole or crack in the eggshell. The nonprofit said it usually takes 24 to 48 hours for the eggs to hatch after the first pup. By Friday morning, a little bit of shell could be seen on the top of the egg.
Video footage posted by the nonprofit shows a close-up of the broken shell in the nest as winds blow and an eagle guards it.
By Saturday, the first chick had poked its head out of the shell. Friends of Big Bear Valley noted in a Facebook post That a bird is not considered hatched until it is completely free from the shell. On Saturday, viewers saw what looked like a pip in the second egg.
By Sunday both were born and looked healthy.
Webcam viewers will have a short window to catch the two eagles before they leave the nest. They take 10 to 14 weeks to develop, Voisard said.
The birth is a triumph for Jackie and Shadow, who lost a clutch in late January. When the pair were left unattended for several hours, ravens ate two of their eggs.
The couple went back to work and in late February Jackie laid two new eggs.
Last year, the couple welcomed two daughters – Gizmo and Sunny – who later separated.
Times staff writer Lila Seidman Contributed to this report.
