Big Bear bald eagle couple welcomes second egg in three days

Now there are two.

Three days after welcoming their first egg of the season on Friday, Jan. 23, Big Bear’s beloved bald eagle couple has welcomed a second.

RELATED: Big Bear bald eagles Jackie and Shadow welcome first egg of 2026

The eagle called Jackie laid the egg after 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, according to a Facebook post from Friends of Big Bear Valley, which runs a continuous camera chronicling the lives of Jackie and her companion Shadow.

Bald eagles practice “delayed incubation,” the post states.

“They intermittently incubate and stay off or hover over the egg(s) until the last egg of the clutch is laid. Once the last egg is laid, they should incubate all the eggs more regularly.”

Jackie typically lays her eggs three days apart, the post states.

The practice slows down the first egg or eggs so “hatching will occur closer together, the eaglets will be closer in size, and all eaglets will have a better chance of survival,” according to the post.

Friday’s egg also arrived in the late afternoon, about 4:30 p.m.

Survival can be a challenge as last year two of Jackie’s three eaglets  — Sunny and Gizmo — made it through the winter. Misty the eaglet died.