Jackie and Shadow fans, the couple’s third eagle egg has landed safely in Big Bear Valley
On a windy night, with snowy weather approaching, Jackie the bald eagle rustled a few feathers as she delivered her third egg of the 2024.
Jackie and Shadow became the proud parents of mama eagle’s first full three-egg clutch on Wednesday night at the family nest in Big Bear Lake, the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley announced on Facebook.
Jackie delivered her first egg of the year on Jan. 25, followed by a second on Jan. 28, the Daily Press reported.
The third egg
At 5:49 p.m. on Wednesday, Jackie started showing movement that hinted she was about to lay a third egg, said Sandy Steers, a Big Bear resident and executive director of the nonprofit.
Jackie started looking a little restless, with her feathers atop her head poking up a bit. As soon as her wings flopped to the side, her body began working, Steers said.
Mama bird’s feathers then puffed out, her tail raised a few times and the pushes became more intense, according to Steers, whose nonprofit operates the Big Bear Bald Eagle Nest Cam, which monitors the nest around the clock.
Jackie’s body trembled ever so slightly as she “pushed the egg down its path toward the outside world,” said Steers, who added that the eagle made “sweet teakettle sounds” as the effort of pushing escaped through her nostrils.
“Within a few moments, the effort calmed and Jackie stood taller in what seemed like a final push,” Steers said. “The trembling stopped, the teakettle went silent and Jackie’s feathers began laying down.”
After a moment of calmness and recovery, Jackie turned her body to reveal a third “beautiful and perfect” egg underneath her, Steers said.
“Jackie gently rolled them, softened the nest bowl around them and then settled in on her beautiful clutch,” Steers said. “Shadow will have a surprise waiting for him when he arrives in the morning!”
Based on previous egg-laying experiences, Jackie’s eggs have hatched just under 40 days after being laid, the nonprofit said.
Egg No. 1 and No. 2
The nonprofit took to Facebook on Jan. 25 to say, “Jackie’s egg-laying process took only about 6 minutes from the time she stood up in the nest bowl until the moment the egg appeared.”
A closeup of egg No. 1 showed a beautiful white oval. A few spots on the egg show areas that have probably not dried out yet from coming out wet, Steers said.
“After recovering for a few minutes, Jackie stepped ever so gently around the egg and then rolled it for the first time, right underneath her,” the nonprofit leader said.
Jackie laid egg No. 2 at 1:59 p.m. on Jan. 28, with her labor process lasting about 4 minutes.
“This time the process was fast, efficient and beautiful! The puffing up, the teakettling, the entire process went much faster and seemed to be a bit less work for her,” Steers said.
Jackie and Shadow's family
In March 2023, Jackie and Shadow abandoned their two eggs weeks after they were due to hatch in the family nest high atop a 14-story Jeffrey pine tree.
Jackie delivered the couple’s first egg of the year on Jan. 11, 2023. Her second egg came days later on Jan. 14.
Jackie and Shadow’s eaglet, Spirit, was born in March 2022 and was considered a miracle baby by many.
In 2020 and 2021, Jackie’s clutches of eggs were either eaten by ravens or didn’t hatch.
In April 2019, eaglets Cookie and Simba were born.
Unfortunately, Cookie died of apparent hypothermia during a storm on Memorial Day weekend 2019. Simba successfully took flight and fledged in July of that year.
For more information on Jackie and Show, and the Friends of Big Bear Valley, visit Friendsofbigbearvalley.org.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Jackie and Shadow fans, the couple’s third eagle egg has landed safely
