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 Massive Bear nest.
Jackie started to point out indicators of labor at 4:22 p.m. Friday and the egg arrived simply 10 minutes later, based on Pals of Massive Bear Valley, which runs the favored on-line livestream of the couple’s nest.
“She did an incredible 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 following 35 days or so, making certain it’s saved 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 probability of hatching, based on Sandy Steers, biologist and government director of Pals of Massive 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, based on 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 didn’t 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 tough season, unfold their wings and flew away.
All through these ups and downs, hundreds of individuals have tuned into the nest livestream, which has grow to be a robust instrument to coach the general public in regards to the precarious lifetime of bald eagles, that are endangered in California.
A few of Jackie and Shadow’s supporters are at present 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, visitors and habitat destruction.
