Beloved California Bald Eagle Pair Welcomes First Eaglets In Three Years
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California’s famous bald eagle couple, Jackie and Shadow, are proud parents of triplets. The first eaglet hatched late on March 3, 2025. The second followed shortly after in the early hours of March 4. The third and final eaglet popped out of its eggshell four days later, on March 8. These are the couple’s first successfully hatched chicks since one named Spirit emerged three years ago.
The newborns are doing well. They are eating and engaging in typical sibling behavior — pecking at each other to compete for food. The parents may reduce feedings to protect them from the rain and snow. But the chicks are still small enough to be kept warm underneath whichever parent is guarding them.
The eaglets will take their first flight in 10 to 14 weeks. But they will continue to return, sometimes sleeping in the nest for another month or two before leaving the area. Friends of Big Bear Valley, the environmental nonprofit monitoring the birds, plans to ask the public to suggest names for the chicks. They will narrow the list to 30 options and let local third-graders pick their top three favorites.
Jackie and Shadow's enduring love story
The couple's story begins with Ricky and Lucy, Big Bear Valley's first full-time bald eagle residents. In 2012, they hatched a chick, Jackie, who left the area as soon as she was ready to fly.
Years later, a female eagle returned to Ricky and Lucy’s former nest. Locals suspected it was Jackie. Although it could not be confirmed, the name stuck. She soon paired with a new mate, Mr. B, and the two settled in. Eager to observe their lives, Friends of Big Bear Valley installed a live camera to monitor their every move.
The couple had a chick named Stormy and seemed to be doing well until the arrival of an adult male eagle in 2018. Despite repeated efforts to drive him away, the eagle — later named Shadow — refused to leave. Mr. B eventually abandoned the nest, and Shadow became Jackie’s new mate.
"Mr. B kept poking at him and trying to make him go away," says Sandy Steers, executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley. "(Shadow) would just lean back out of the way and stand back up, and finally Mr. B gave up and left."
Since then, Jackie and Shadow have been inseparable. They take turns incubating eggs and hunting for food. Like any couple, they often argue over nest duties. Shadow sometimes places sticks on Jackie’s back to get her to move. Jackie, the larger of the two, nudges him until he gets up.
Once on the brink of extinction in the US, bald eagles have made a remarkable comeback thanks to conservation efforts. Jackie and Shadow’s successful nesting in Big Bear Valley shows that with proper protection, these majestic birds can thrive.
Beyond helping to restore their species, Jackie and Shadow have inspired a growing community of eagle watchers and wildlife enthusiasts.
Resources: LAtimes.com, CNN.com, Friends of Big Bear Valley
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36 Comments
rocusevuciba2 daysSO CUTE!!!!- munisatiwora7 daysremember the third one died am I right?
- honzyo10 daysCONGRATULATIONS!!! :p
sarthak10 daysSame, my class were also watching the bald eagles every single day.- sarthak10 daysThey are so cute!!
ninjatony10 daysThe baby eagle is so cute
amiliawinter13 daysHow cute would love to see a baby eagle one day so cute and fuzzy 😍
halipipohiki15 daysThis is sooooo interesting.
susss12349615 daysJackie and Shadow's nest is live steamed in my classroom everyday, and it just warms my heart to see the little eagles hatch.
happy1237815 dayscool
