On April 4, 2026, after hours of work inside the shell, the first chick hatched at the Big Bear nest, and Jackie and Shadow finally welcomed their first eaglet of the 2026 season.
For hours, the little one kept pushing, resting, and pushing again. Jackie stayed on the nest through much of the afternoon and evening, covering the nest bowl and holding close while the hatch slowly moved forward. Then the shell finally gave way. By the end of the day, the chick was completely free.
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That last part matters. A pip is the first break in the shell. A hatch is only complete when the chick is fully out. This one took about 36 hours from the first pip to the moment the chick was finally free, with long pauses and more hard work in between.
By late afternoon and into the evening, the nest looked different. Tiny pink toes could be seen sticking up. A little beak rested against the nest. A small head appeared where an egg had been only hours earlier. After all that time inside the shell, the first chick was finally here.
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The First Chick Hatches After 36 Hours of Work
This was not a quick hatch.
Chick #1 first pipped on day 37 and hatched on day 39. The coverage showed exactly how slow and demanding the process can be. There were stretches of movement, then quiet, then more movement. The chick had to keep stopping to rest before working again.
Nothing about it looked easy, but it kept going until the shell was behind it.
Once the chick was fully out, the whole scene shifted from shell fragments and waiting to a living eaglet tucked under Jackie at the nest.
Jackie Stayed Close While Shadow Brought a Fish
Jackie was on the nest for most of the afternoon and evening as the hatch finished.
She stayed low over the bowl, careful and steady, giving the chick warmth and cover during those first hours out of the shell. The footage showed her doing what she has done so many times at the nest, only now there was a chick beneath her instead of an egg still waiting to open.
Shadow’s part in the moment felt very Big Bear too. He brought a fish to the nest and ended up eating it himself. Even on hatch day, the rhythm of nest life kept moving. Food came in. Jackie stayed down with the chick. Shadow handled the fish. By morning, he may get a better look at the little one he helped wait for.
Tiny Details Made the Hatch Impossible to Miss
Some hatch days are remembered for one big moment. This one also had the little details people wait for.
There were the pink toes. There was the little beak. There was the small head resting against the nest.
Those quick glimpses made it clear that this was no longer just a shell with movement inside. Jackie and Shadow had a chick in the nest.
The footage from late afternoon through the evening captured that change as it happened. What started as another long stretch of waiting ended with a fully hatched eaglet tucked close at Big Bear.
Egg #2 Already Has a Growing Pip
The second egg pipped at 10:03 AM, and that opening has already been getting bigger. So while Jackie and Shadow finally welcomed their first chick, the second egg was already beginning to pull the nest toward its next big moment.
Chick #2 pipped on day 36 and is now the next one to watch. If the first hatch showed anything, it is that these final stages can take time. The shell may change a little at a time, with pauses in between, before the chick is fully free. But with one chick already hatched and the second egg already active, the nest has changed quickly.
Now there is a chick under Jackie, and another egg still moving toward the same moment.
A New Chapter Has Started at Big Bear
After so much waiting, Jackie and Shadow finally welcome their first chick, and the nest has entered a new stage.
The first chick is out. Jackie is keeping close. Shadow is bringing food. Egg #2 is already showing a growing pip. The waiting that shaped the last several days has now turned into hatch watch for the second egg and first-hours care for the chick already in the nest.
The Friends Of Big Bear Valley make this live cam experience possible, and Lady Hawk’s video helps capture the key moments of the hatch.
FAQ
Has Jackie and Shadow’s first chick officially hatched?
Yes. The first chick officially hatched on April 4, 2026, after becoming completely free of the shell.
How long did the first hatch take?
The first hatch took about 36 hours from the first visible pip until the chick was fully out of the shell.
What day did the first chick pip and hatch?
Chick #1 pipped on day 37 and hatched on day 39.
