A pair of bald eagles with a nest in Southern California welcomed the third eaglet of their brood live via webcam. The parents, Jackie and Shadow, reportedly welcomed the eaglet early Saturday morning.

Jackie and Shadow, Big Bear’s resident celebrity bald eagle couple, welcomed a third chick Saturday morning. (Friends of Big Bear Valley)
Jackie and Shadow, Big Bear’s resident celebrity bald eagle couple, welcomed a third chick Saturday morning; Photo: Friends of Big Bear Valley“

And at Monday’s early morning feeding at 6:13 am, Chick #3 was presented to the world!” the Friends of Big Bear Valley (FBBV) and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam pronounced Saturday on the nonprofit’s Facebook page.

The 24-hour webcam was originally set up in 2016 by the preservation group in Big Bear Lake Forest, located approximately one hundred miles northeast of Los Angeles. Jackie and Shadow have amassed an internet following over the years after Shadow’s arrival in 2018, who had chased off another male. Fans have also kept up with the couple’s hatchings over the years, as the pair welcomed chicks in 2019 and 2022 but lost eggs in 2023 and 2024 to ravens and severe cold.

For the hatching process to begin, the chick assumes a special hatching position within the egg and absorbs the remaining yolk fluids for energy to support it through the hatching process and the first several hours of life. The chick then uses a special sharp protrusion at the top of its beak called an egg tooth to break through the various membranes and hard eggshell.

The other two eaglets hatched earlier last week, one late on Monday and the other early Tuesday. Signs of the last hatching could be seen on Friday morning on the FBBV live camera feed as the final egg began moving and the initial crack or pip site appeared.

The triplet poked through its shell and was mostly visible just after 2 AM Saturday, March 8th, and fully emerged by 6:13 AM PST, just in time for breakfast. Jackie and Shadow have been diligently tending to the new chicks, trading off feeding and sleeping times while protecting them from the harsh winter elements.

Sandy Steers, executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, said the livestream has recently seen record viewership.

All three beautiful bundles of fluff were fully visible, sitting up and ready for breakfast,” Friends of Big Bear Valley shared on its Facebook page. “They all look dry, healthy, and full of energy. As they jostle around for positioning, the newest one will have plenty of food still from its yolk for a few days.”