By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Jackie and Shadow – the Big Bear eagles we have all come to love – are back on their nest. Thanks to the camera the Friends of Big Bear Valley installed at the nest, folks across the U.S. are able to keep tabs on the couple.
Sandy Steers, the executive director of the Friends of Big Bear Valley, outlined the history of the eagles for the Women’s Club of Lake Arrowhead at their Dec. 17 meeting.
Eagles started wintering in Big Bear about 30 years ago. At that time, 25 or more eagles would visit in the winter as the lakes further north would freeze over. One year one eagle – they named Ricky – stayed all summer. He brought a mate, Lucy, to Big Bear. They built a nest and, in 2012, the first eagle chick in Big Bear history hatched.
That chick was named Jack. As the chick grew – and became bigger than both parents – it was apparent Jack was actually Jackie (females are bigger than the males).
Jackie brought a mate, Mr. B, to Big Bear in 2016. Since she was not yet old enough, there were no chicks that first year. In 2018 a new male showed up – Shadow. He stood his ground and Mr. B left.
Jackie and Shadow had two chicks, Simba and Cookie. Simba fledged but Cookie was lost in a storm. Two years then passed with no eggs hatching.
In early 2025, Jackie laid three eggs, all of which hatched. Unfortunately, one chick did not survive but the other two – named Sunny and Gizmo by local school children – fledged.
Jackie and Shadow are now getting the nest ready for their next clutch of eggs. Each brings new sticks to the nest and, together, they place them where they feel they should be.
Bringing the sticks, Steers said, is part of the eagles’ bonding. “Sometimes they have different ideas as to where a stick should go and pull it in different directions,” she said. Steers describes Shadow as the “architect.”
As folks watch the eagles on the nest camera, they have observed one or possibly two juveniles fly into the picture and perch on a tree above the nest. The question is: Could that be Sunny or Gizmo?
All eyes will be on the nest in the new year, watching for the first egg to be laid. The incubation period is usually 35 to 40 days.
Steers told the Women’s Club they are concerned about a proposed development called Moon Camp which would impinge on the eagles’ territory. The San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust is raising funds in an effort to purchase the land from the current owners.
The Women’s Club gave the Friends of Big Bear Valley a donation to help in that purchase and protect the eagles.
Jackie and Shadow are back at their nest in Big Bear. (Photos: Friends of Big Bear Valley Facebook page)
The two eagles bring new sticks to prepare the nest for this season. They are very particular about the sticks’ placement.
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