Jackie and Shadow, Big Bear Valley’s celebrity bald eagles, welcomed two chicks to the nest this holiday weekend.
The first eaglet was born on Saturday at 9:33 p.m., and the second at 8:30 a.m. on Easter morning. Both are looking healthy, Jenny Voisard, media and website manager of the Friends of Big Bear Valley, said on Sunday.
“It’s a very fun day and weekend for many, and they couldn’t have picked a more perfect time to say hello to the world,” she said.
Voisard said the hatching process is “arduous,” with only 50% of eggs having a chance of making it.
“They have to work itself through an inner membrane and then the outer cell,” she said. “And once they get through that, when they poke through that inner membrane, they take their first breath of air, and we can start to hear them chirp.
“And so we got to hear them chirp,” she said. “We heard them before we saw any indication of hatching.”
Eventually, the eaglets reach the outer shell, and it cracks.
“When we see the outer shell crack, then that’s when we know for sure that the chick has reached that inner and is working its way through the outer,” Voisard said. “And so it can take almost three days sometimes, but these little guys were pretty determined, and they got out pretty fast.”
Jackie and Shadow have been a “mated pair” since the fall of 2018. They have achieved social media fame worldwide and thousands watch them live via webcam livestreams.
Last season, three eagles hatched, but only two survived. Tragedy struck in January when ravens damaged their eggs. But about a month later, Jackie laid two more eggs.
On April 3, it was announced on Facebook that “little chirps were coming from the chick,” and at “21:33:31 cam time (9:33 p.m.), chick 1 officially broke completely free from its egg!” a Facebook post from the Friends team announced.
“Until officially named, the eaglet will be referred to as Chick 1,” the post said. “Egg 2 which pipped this morning is making good progress and should soon join its sibling.”
Naming the new chicks will come in the future, according to Facebook page.
“We have seen hundreds of requests and suggestions to name one of the chicks Sandy in honor of Sandy Steers, her years of tireless environmental work in the valley and her love for the eagles,” the Facebook post said.
But “Sandy would not want this.”
Steers, who was the executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, died on Feb. 11.
“Our process has always been to have a fundraiser naming contest (details coming soon), and the local 3rd graders vote on the final names, Voisard said. “This brought great joy to Sandy through the years, and we will honor her by continuing this tradition.”
The first webcam was installed in October 2015 on the branch where eagles Jackie and Shadow nest. A second camera was installed in 2021, on a nearby tree, for a wider view. Both cameras are 145 feet in the air and solar-powered.