Jackie and Shadow
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Jackie (c.2012) and Shadow (c.2014) are a wild female and male bald eagle couple who reside in the San Bernardino National Forest near Big Bear Lake in San Bernardino County, California. Their attempts to hatch and raise offspring have been live-streamed by Friends of Big Bear Valley since 2018.
History
Bald eagles from points farther north, such as Idaho or Canada, migrate to Big Bear Valley, but most do not stay year-round. In 2012, San Bernardino National Forest rangers discovered that the valley had become nesting territory for eagles and in 2015, Friends of Big Bear Valley launched a livestream to monitor wildlife in the area.
Jackie, believed to be the first eaglet hatched in Big Bear Valley, came to the public's attention in 2017, when she and her mate took over an abandoned nest beside Friends of Big Bear Valley's livestream camera. Shadow came to the public's attention one year later, when he replaced Jackie's mate at that nest. As of 2020, Jackie and Shadow were the only year-round bald eagle residents at Big Bear Lake.
Jackie and Shadow's live-stream gained significant attention in 2023, when they attempted to hatch eggs despite multiple atmospheric rivers that brought 45 inches (1.1 m) of snow to the area. Jackie and Shadow had no surviving offspring that year or the following one, and by February 2024, they had laid 14+ eggs together, five of which hatched, with two or three of the eaglets surviving into adulthood.
In 2025, the pair successfully hatched three eggs, but one eaglet died during a storm a few days later. The two surviving eaglets were later named Sunny and Gizmo. The names, chosen from 54,000 submissions, were voted on by students at Big Bear Elementary School. The eaglet that died was named Misty, after Kathi Misterly, a Friends of Big Bear Valley volunteer who had recently died from cancer.
Jackie laid two eggs in early 2026, but both were eaten by a raven. Jackie then laid two more eggs, both of which hatched in April. The two eaglets were named Sandy and Luna. Similar to the naming contest from the previous year, these names were chosen by students at Big Bear Elementary School, who voted on 63,915 submissions. Sandy was named after Sandy Steers, a local environmental activist.
Protected area
Jackie and Shadow's nest is located in the San Bernardino National Forest near Fawnskin, 145 feet (44 m) above ground in a Jeffrey pine. As the tree is near a parking lot, picnic area, and campsite, the Forest Service close these facilities when offspring are fledging.
For more than 25 years, developers have been looking to develop a 63-acre (25 ha) stretch of Big Bear Lake's north shore lakefront known as Moon Camp, located less than 1 mile (1.6 km) from Jackie and Shadow's nest. The project has faced significant opposition from conservationists and the general public, as it would be detrimental to the bald eagles as well as several rare and endangered plant species in the area. In February 2026, the developer granted the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust an option to purchase the property for $10 million; the land would then be added to the San Bernardino National Forest.