After a strong start to 2026 with the first egg of the season, the plot has officially thickened on Keeping Up With the Big Bear Eagles. Right on schedule, mama Jackie has welcomed a new addition to the feathered family, as egg number two has officially arrived.
According to Friends of Big Bear Valley, on Monday, January 26, at exactly 5:09 p.m., Jackie laid her second egg of the season. The process began a little earlier, around 4:57 p.m., but by early evening, the nest had its second precious addition, and Big Bear’s favorite power couple once again delivered must-see wildlife content.
As seasoned bald eagle parents, Jackie and Shadow are following nature’s usual playbook. Bald eagles practice what’s known as delayed incubation, meaning Jackie won’t fully settle in and warm the eggs nonstop just yet. Instead, she’ll hover, lightly incubate, and step away until the clutch is complete.
Since Jackie typically lays eggs about three days apart, this strategy helps slow the development of the first egg so all the chicks hatch closer together, remain similar in size, and have a better chance of thriving.
So… could there be a third egg? Yes, this is the most likely outcome as bald eagles typically lay one to three eggs per season, with two being the most common, as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service explains. And it’s also worth noting that last year, Jackie also laid three eggs in her clutch, but unfortunately one did not survive a windstorm.
If Jackie sticks to her usual rhythm, we may continue to see this on-and-off incubation behavior over the next few days. For now, only Jackie knows what’s coming next, and we’ll be watching alongside thousands of other eagle-cam devotees to see how the season unfolds.