Big Bear’s celebrity bald eagle couple hatch 2 eaglets following early season loss

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. — Big Bear’s celebrity eagle couple, Jackie and Shadow, welcomed two baby eaglets over the course of two days on Saturday and Easter Sunday.

After a long 36 hours, the first eaglet completely hatched at 9:33 p.m. on Saturday, marking the pair’s first hatch of the season, according to the Friends of Big Bear Valley. Meanwhile, the second eaglet broke free at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday.

At the time the second egg cracked open, the Friends of Big Bear Valley camera, which documented the process, showed the first eaglet getting its first successful feeding. The non-profit said that chicks are fed bits of fish or other prey.

“Initial feedings are often challenging as the chicks do not have much muscle strength in their necks,” the nonprofit said in an Instagram post. 

This was a big win for the beloved duo after they lost two eggs to a raven attack earlier this season in January. The two eaglets that hatched over the weekend mark the pair’s fourth successful brood. 

The latest development comes as the Friends of Big Bear Valley rallies to save Jackie and Shadow’s habitat from the Moon Camp project, a proposed luxury residential housing development in Fawnskin, just a mile away from the pair’s nest. It is also the pair’s foraging area and home to rare and endangered plant species. 

“Over the years, experts have testified and documented that a major housing development would cause ‘significant detrimental impact’ to the Bald Eagles,” the Friends of Big Bear Valley said in a press release in February. “In addition to impacting Jackie and Shadow’s ability to raise chicks, there is a real possibility they will leave altogether due to the destruction of the North Shore.”

According to the organization, the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust has entered into a limited Purchase Option Agreement to buy the land and to save the eagles’ foraging area for $10 million. Funds will need to be raised before July 31. 

As of Sunday night, Friends of Big Bear Valley has raised  $1,673,900.