Houston, we have now an egg!
In main information for followers of Southern California’s most well-known feathered energy couple, bald eagles Jackie and Shadow have welcomed their first egg of the 2026 season of their Huge Bear nest.
Jackie started to point out indicators of labor at 4:22 p.m. Friday and the egg arrived simply 10 minutes later, in response to Mates of Huge Bear Valley, which runs the favored on-line livestream of the couple’s nest.
“She did an awesome job and is now resting,” the nonprofit wrote in a Friday night replace. “Shadow got here in briefly at 16:41:30 and noticed the egg! Thanks for being part of this wonderful occasion!”
Jackie and Shadow will now take turns fastidiously incubating the egg for the subsequent 35 days or so, guaranteeing it’s stored heat and secure. And, with a bit of luck, one other egg or two might arrive within the coming days.
Though the laying of the egg was met with an internet outpouring of pleasure, there’s a lengthy highway to go earlier than the couple have a wholesome eaglet.
Bald eagle eggs usually have a 50-50 likelihood of hatching, in response to Sandy Steers, biologist and government director of Mates of Huge Bear Valley. Then, as soon as hatched, fewer than 50% of eaglets survive their first yr as a result of challenges from extreme climate, meals shortages, falls from the nest and predators, in response to the American Eagle Basis.
Jackie and Shadow’s prior mating seasons have been marked by cycles of celebration and heartbreak.
They first mated in 2018 and had their first eaglet Simba the next yr. However their subsequent profitable mating season wasn’t till 2022, when their second eaglet Spirit flew the nest.
The next yr was marked by devastation when the couple’s eggs have been eaten by ravens. Followers have been dealt one other devastating blow in 2024, when the couple’s eggs did not hatch after a extreme winter storm.
Lastly, in 2025, hope returned with the hatching of three eaglets. Tragically, one hatchling died throughout heavy snowfall, however two — dubbed Sunny and Gizmo — survived the cruel season, unfold their wings and flew away.
All through these ups and downs, hundreds of individuals have tuned into the nest livestream, which has turn into a robust software to teach the general public concerning the precarious lifetime of bald eagles, that are endangered in California.
A few of Jackie and Shadow’s supporters are presently combating to forestall San Bernardino County from permitting a 50-home gated neighborhood to be constructed inside a mile of the couple’s nest. Advocates say the venture poses dangers to the eagles, together with noise, site visitors and habitat destruction.
