SAN JOSE, Calif. -- San Jose's favorite celebrity couple, peregrine falcons Carlos and Clara, may have their first offspring as early as Monday, according to a spokeswoman for Mayor Chuck Reed.

The falcon pair, who nest atop the 18-story tower at San Jose City Hall, have been incubating a clutch of four eggs since the middle of March. Early today, falcon fans watching on the dedicated webcam noticed the first sign of an egg hatching.

"We have our first pip hole," mayoral spokeswoman Michelle McGurk said.

A pip hole is the early hole a chick makes in an egg to breathe. From the pip hole to a complete hatching can take several days, according to McGurk.

"It could be as long as 60 hours," McGurk said.

The complete hatching of Carlos and Clara's first egg could happen at any time because nest observers do not know exactly when the pip hole first appeared.

Last year, Clara and her former mate Jose drew international attention via webcam when they produced three eggs that hatched into chicks. Following a contest among San Jose school children, the chicks were named Esperanza, Hiko and Spirit.

McGurk said details about this year's contest will be announced after several of the eggs in the current clutch have hatched.

The falcons' webcam can be found at http://www.sanjoseca.gov or http://www.scpbrg.org.