Inside (and outside) the Eagle Nest of Big Bear Valley
It’s a long one, but it’s worth it!!
I’ve spent the last three months on an emotional roller coaster ride watching the live cams of bald eagle nests, specially the nest of Jackie and Shadow. If you know, you know. If you don’t, I’ll give you a little backstory of the eagles that have been capturing the hearts of hundreds of thousands of at-home viewers since 2015. And why this year is extra special :)
Jackie and Shadow’s nest is located in Big Bear Valley in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California.
2011-2012
The first bald eagle chick hatched in Big Bear Valley and was named Jack. (Prior to this no bald eagle nests were recorded in this area.) The parents were named Ricky and Lucy by the Forest Service. They determined the chick to be female due to her size (females are larger than males) and the name was changed from Jack to Jackie.
2012-2013
At this point, there was no view into the interior of the nest, but there was believed to be eggs since Lucy and Ricky were observed sitting on the nest continuously. The eagles eventually gave up sitting on the eggs after there was no hatching.
2013-2014
Two eggs hatched, but neither survived after a 4-day rain, wind, and snowstorm.
2014-2015
One chick was raised by Ricky and Lucy and successfully fledged. It was named Shadow.
2015-2016
In October 2015, Friends of Big Bear Valley obtained Forest Service permits and installed an eagle nest camera. It turns out, Ricky and Lucy built another nest in a more sheltered tree and successfully raised two chicks (Moonlight and Sky) in 2016. Ricky and Lucy left the area sometime before fall of 2016. Neither eagle nor their chicks were banded so there is no way of knowing where they ended up.
2016-2017
Ricky and Lucy’s old nest (with the camera) acquired a new occupant when a sub-adult female started hanging around. There were only 3 known eagles in the area (Ricky and Lucy) and the sub-adult female eagle that is considered to be the same age as Jackie. It is believed she stayed in the Big Bear Valley area after she fledged which isn’t necessarily common for young eagles. Jackie took over the nest along with a mate, Mr. B. They mated, but Jackie did not lay any eggs. At 5 years old, it’s possible that she was not sexually mature yet.
2017-2018
Two eaglets hatched and were named Stormy and BBB (for Big Bear Valley). At 6.5 weeks, BBB did not survive a 24-hour rainstorm followed by freezing temperatures. Stormy survived and was banded. He successfully fledged on April 26, 2018.
During the summer of 2018, another eagle (male) showed up at the nest and refused to leave no matter how much Jackie, Mr. B, and Stormy tried to chase him away. The new eagle was named Shadow as he was believed to be Ricky and Lucy’s fledging from the 2014-2015 season. With closer observation, this eagle appeared to be a year older than the original Shadow, but the name stuck. New Shadow continued to stand his ground and Mr. B eventually gave up and left and Shadow became Jackie’s new mate.
2018-2019
Jackie laid two eggs in early March 2019 and both hatched mid-April. A contest was held to name the eaglets and the local 3rd graders voted for the two finalists, Simba and Cookie. At six weeks old, Cookie did not survive a rain and snowstorm. Simba (a male) successfully fledged on 6/23.
2019-2020
Jackie laid two eggs in early January 2020. After incubating the eggs for more than 60 days (well past the average 35 day hatching window), Jackie and Shadow left the eggs unattended for longer periods of time. A raven came along and cracked the eggs open. Based on camera footage, it was determined the eggs were either not fertilized or development stopped early on.
2020-2021
Jackie laid an eggs on January 6th, 9th, and 13th, but all of them were destroyed or eaten due to an unusual situation where the third egg broke before the laying process was complete. In February, Jackie laid 2 more eggs. Unfortunately, neither of these eggs successfully hatched. This loss seemed to affect Jackie and Shadow greatly as they displayed different behavior over the next few days.
2021-2022
Jackie laid two eggs in January 2022. Only one of the eggs hatched in March. The hatched chick (a female later named Spirit) would snuggle up with the unhatched egg and even protected it when Jackie or Shadow got too close. Spirit fledged on 5/31 and the unhatched egg became a part of the nest.
2022-2023
Jackie laid eggs on January 11th and 14th. After 55 days of incubating (well past the normal time for hatching) ravens cracked the eggs while they were unattended. There were no obvious signs of development so the eggs were either not fertilized or development stopped early on. After time processing the loss, Jackie and Shadow returned to tidy up the nest.
2023-2024
Jackie laid three eggs in January 2024. It was a brutal winter with severe snowstorms lasting for days at a time. At one point Jackie stayed on nest duty for an uninterrupted 62 hours. Jackie and Shadow continue to diligently incubate the eggs for 80 days. This was the first year I heard about the eagle couple and started watched the live cam. I was new to watching, but I remember feeling all the emotions for both Jackie and Shadow as they continued to protect their eggs long past the viable time until they slowly started to spend more and more time away from the nest. I couldn’t help but grieve with them (and everyone else watching along) as they both dealt with losing their eggs.
2024-2025
Jackie laid three eggs in January 2025 and all three hatched successfully between 3/2-3/6. The eldest chick passed sometime late March 13th or early March 14th during an overnight snowstorm. Jackie was seen on camera flying off with her baby a few days later. The eaglet was later named Misty in honor of Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV) volunteer Kathi Misterly who passed away from cancer.
A contest was held to name the other two chicks and in April, Chick #2 was named Sunny and Chick #3 was named Gizmo. Gizmo has grown to be bigger than not only Sunny, but Jackie and Shadow and is determined to be a girl. A few days later, it was revealed that Sunny is also a girl. On June 2nd at 10:46 am local time (everyone that was lucky enough to be watching at the time) saw Sunny successfully fledge. It was obvious that Gizmo became a little antsy and started practicing more giving her the push she needed.
On June 7th as she was jumping to a different branch, Gizmo slipped and unintentionally fledged, but she made a quick recovery and landed in a nearby tree. Since then, both Sunny and Gizmo have been seen on both live cams soaring around the skies. They make their way back to the nest for feedings, resting and sometimes to spend the night. This continues for 1-3 months while the fledglings are learning to hunt and survive on their own. It’s definitely a bittersweet time for anyone that has watched their journey, especially not knowing when the last time we will see them in the nest before they venture out to different areas to find their new homes.
So what makes this year so special??
Well for starters the fact that three chicks successfully hatched is pretty special and of course the fact that two of those chicks have survived long enough to fledge. But what seems to be most special is the bond between the two sisters. Sibling rivalry is common in bald eagles with the older and larger one acting aggressive towards the weaker one when it comes to food, but fortunately with little competition in Big Bear Valley and Jackie and Shadow being the best parents keeping their babies stomachs constantly full, Sunny and Gizmo have never had to fight for food which likely has a lot to do with their peaceful relationship.
Jackie has been one to deviate from the norm of other young eagles when she stayed in the Big Bear Valley area and now uses her parents nest as her own and the fact that she accepted Shadow as her new mate when eagles usually mate for life. So I don’t think it would come as a surprise if Sunny and Gizmo in their mom’s footsteps by venturing out from the norm and staying in the Big Bear Valley area or sticking with each other for a little while that most fledglings would. I mean the FOBBV Facebook group has described them as “going everywhere together”.
What can we learn from the best nest in the west?
How to slow down and practice patience
The eagles are a constant reminder of the power of presence. Always observant of their surroundings, they move with purpose, but never rush. From carefully strengthening their wings till they are strong enough to fly, to waiting patiently for food, Sunny and Gizmo show us that growth takes time, and that patience really is a skill worth practicing.
You never know who you might be inspiring
Jackie and Shadow—and now Sunny and Gizmo—have no idea that hundreds of thousands of people have been watching their journey and falling in love with their little family. And yet, here we are captivated, connected, cheering them on. They do however, occasionally get curious with the camera (see below). It really just goes to show you never truly know who you might be inspiring just by living your life.
The natural world is worth protecting
Thankfully, bald eagles are protected, but not all animals or wild places are given the same care. Being able to watch live nest cams across the country is a privilege, and the photos, videos, and stories shared online have clearly deepened people’s understanding and appreciation for these majestic birds. But it doesn’t have to stop with eagles. There are countless other creatures and landscapes that deserve our attention and protection. The more we show others just how magnificent the natural world is, the more we can inspire people to protect it.
Sisters are built in best friends
It’s been pretty obvious to anyone who’s watched that Sunny and Gizmo are the best of friends and love spending time together—both inside and outside the nest. They could often be seen cuddling and sharing food, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still act like siblings. From Gizmo bonking Sunny when she was much smaller and Sunny having to put her in her place now beak-bonking and drop-kicking over food, some things never change.
Sunny and Gizmo were not banded so we won’t know where they will end up (unless they stay in Big Bear Valley🤞🏻), but we hope they have long and happy lives with their future mate and all the eaglets of their own.
And you better believe I’ll be cherishing the little glimpses we get of them on the live cams until that happens 🤍
-Leanna
*All the information I’ve learned and/or shared is curtesy of Friends of Big Bear Valley.