Bald Eagle Family — Including Eaglets — Emerges In Santa Ana Mountains

SoCal is celebrating a new bald eagle family that’s taken residence in the eastern Santa Ana Mountains, particularly after Jackie and Shadow's failed nest in Big Bear.

Cleveland National Forest officials announced Friday that a pair of bald eagles have recently hatched a pair of healthy chicks.

“It’s amazing to have a national symbol like the bald eagle nesting right here on our doorstep,” Darrel Vance, district ranger for the Trabuco Ranger District, said in a statement.

The chicks appear to be in good condition and are being fed regularly by their parents, according to Forest Service biologists.

Keep your distance

The public is being asked to give the feathered family space.

Forest Service crews have closed some roads that are near the nest along the Indian Truck Trail. But hikers can take that single-lane road from Temescal Valley to a wildlife viewing area with a protective buffer built-in around the nest.

This also means that the growing family will delay roadwork along Indian Truck Trail, to repair damage left by landslides from the series of winter storms.

“We know the public is very interested — it’s a rare opportunity to see these birds locally — but we want to urge the public to recreate responsibly,” Vance added. “Please give the wildlife lots of room: the risk is there for full closure of the area if people cannot respect the eagles’ space.”

The work is now expected to begin this summer — after the eagles have left their nest for the season.

While the species has been making a comeback, they’re still federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

More about SoCal’s eagle families

They join a number of other SoCal eagle nests to gush over.

Two nests were seen in Orange County along the Santa Ana River. Catalina Island also saw three eaglets hatch, with over half-a-dozen other eagle couples having laid eggs around the island.

And of course, the internet icons of Big Bear Valley, Jackie and Shadow, whose nest has been regularly watched by thousands of people on a Youtube livestream.