National

After years of waiting, beloved bald eagles Jackie and Shadow have two babies in CA

Bald eagles Jackie and Shadow are officially parents after years of trying for a baby in their Southern California nest.

The first eaglet fully emerged from its egg just before 11:30 p.m. March 3 in the nest overlooking Big Bear Lake, the Friends of Big Bear Valley said in a Facebook post.

“So all of us are just crying tears of joy for eagle babies in the middle of the night?” one person commented on Facebook.

Then a few hours later, the second eagle broke out of its shell at 4:29 a.m. March 4.

“Welcome to the world lil ones,” someone else commented.

Jackie and Shadow are seen in the nest together with the two eaglets at 8:31 a.m. March 4. Jackie has a mark on her head.
Jackie and Shadow are seen in the nest together with the two eaglets at 8:31 a.m. March 4. Jackie has a mark on her head. Screengrab from FOBBV CAM

Eagle mom Jackie tended to the two eaglets until morning when Shadow got his first look at them at about 6:30 a.m.

He then took over nest duty, keeping the babies and third unhatched egg warm.

Viewers have now gotten several glimpses of the small precious gray “bobbleheads.”

What a sweet miracle to watch,” one person commented on Facebook.

The first eaglet on the right is seen completely hatched at 11:26 p.m. March 3.
The first eaglet on the right is seen completely hatched at 11:26 p.m. March 3. Screengrab from FOBBV CAM


Congratulations to some of the best parents in the world!!” another person wrote.

The dedicated bald eagle parents haven’t had a successful hatch since their last eaglet, Spirit, was born March 3, 2022.

Jackie and Shadow tended to two eggs through snow and storms in 2023, but abandoned the eggs after they showed no signs of hatching, McClatchy News reported.

The same thing happened to the eagle parents last year with their three eggs. Shadow was reluctant to give up on them.

Jackie and Shadow can be watched on the nonprofit’s live eagle camera.

Big Bear Lake is about a 95-mile drive northeast from Los Angeles.

Shadow is seen looking down at his two babies at 7:46 a.m. March 4.
Shadow is seen looking down at his two babies at 7:46 a.m. March 4. Screengrab from FOBBV CAM
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This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 11:46 AM with the headline "After years of waiting, beloved bald eagles Jackie and Shadow have two babies in CA."

Helena Wegner
McClatchy DC
Helena Wegner is a McClatchy National Real-Time Reporter covering the state of Washington and the western region. She’s a journalism graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She’s based in Phoenix.
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