Second egg pips as first Big Bear bald eaglet continues hatching
Just days after the first pip of nesting season for Big Bear bald eagle couple Jackie and Shadow, their second egg also appears to have a pip as the world anxiously watches.
The second pip was confirmed by Friends of Big Bear Valley officials on Facebook early Saturday, in a post that also mentioned the first egg's continued hatching.
"It is not considered hatched until it is completely free of the egg shell," the post said. "The chick has popped its head out of the shell to say a happy hatch day to mom and dad!"
Video from after the first egg's pipping on Friday allowed a chance to hear the small chirps from the newest eaglet.
FOBBV members said it can take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours for a chick to fully hatch after the initial pip. After that, the birds grow rather quickly, reaching three feet in just over two months.
A "pip" is the moment that the chick can break through the internal membrane, breach the eggshell and take its first breath of air, according to FOBBV.
Jackie and Shadow, who have been in the spotlight for years after FOBBV set up a nest camera offering a full-time look at the lives of the bald eagles, have parented eaglets in 2019, 2022 and 2025, when Sunny and Gizmo were born. The couple had four eggs this season, but two were destroyed when their nest was raided by ravens. Weeks later, Jackie laid her second clutch of eggs on Feb. 24 and Feb. 27, respectively.
Related: Big Bear wildlife activist Sandy Steers, who spearheaded eagle nest cam, dies
