Beloved bald eagles Jackie and Shadow tend to 3 eggs in CA nest. When will they hatch?
Bald eagles Jackie and Shadow have spent the past week incubating three precious eggs in their Southern California nest.
Now, there’s a date set for “pip watch,” when an eaglet makes its first hole in the egg, the Friends of Big Bear Valley said in a Feb. 4 Facebook post. Eaglet watchers can mark their calendars for March 1.
Jackie laid her first egg Jan. 22, followed by her second egg on Jan. 25 and the third egg on Jan. 28. The eggs were laid in the nest overlooking Big Bear Lake.
Bald eagle eggs typically hatch after 35 days of incubation, according to the East Tennessee State University.
But Jackie and Shadow’s eggs will likely hatch after 38 to 39 days, or longer, since they have three eggs to tend to, the nonprofit said in the post.
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The two eagle parents delayed starting incubation until all three eggs were laid so they would hatch closer together.
“The main idea behind this evolutionary adaptation is to ensure that younger chicks have a higher chance of survival while competing with their older siblings for food and shelter,” the nonprofit said.
It’s possible Jackie and Shadow will have eagle babies to feed at the beginning of March.
Jackie and Shadow haven’t had a successful hatch in two years since they raised Spirit. She fledged from the nest May 31, 2022.
This story was originally published February 4, 2025 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Beloved bald eagles Jackie and Shadow tend to 3 eggs in CA nest. When will they hatch?."
