Beloved bald eagle parents Jackie and Shadow may be parents again after two eggs have started to hatch in their Southern California nest.
The first pip was seen at 3:09 p.m. March 2 in the nest overlooking Big Bear Lake, the Friends of Big Bear Valley said in a Facebook post. A pip happens when an eaglet makes a crack in the egg.
Thousands of comments from excited viewers poured in after the long-awaited news.
Then even more good news came: a second egg appeared to be hatching, the nonprofit said in a March 3 Facebook post.
Both eggs have visible cracks.
“Congratulations Jackie and Shadow and the entire eagle family! We’ve been waiting for almost 3 years,” the nonprofit said in the first post.
The dedicated bald eagle parents haven’t had a successful hatch since their last eaglet Spirit was born March 3, 2022.
But the two never gave up.
Jackie and Shadow tended to two eggs through snow and storms in 2023, but they 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.
Although it’s too soon to tell, things are looking better for the eagle parents this season.
We may not see an eaglet for one to three days after the eaglets have made pips, the nonprofit said.
Viewers are still excited about the news.
“Pip away my sweet little ones, your journey has been long awaited,” one person commented on Facebook.
“Tears of joy!!! It’s been a roller coaster of emotions the last couple years. I’m so excited they are able to raise littles again,” another person wrote.
“The best news all year!! Sooo exciting to watch this unfold,” someone else said.
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.
