Vale Jackie (2012-2026)

Jackie was a bald eagle from Big Bear Valley in California, USA. Jackie and her partner Shadow were the first eagle parents of any species that I started watching raise their babies in early 2025. Jackie and Shadow and their 2025 chicks, Sunny and Gizmo, were the original eagle family that got me hooked on bird nest live cams, and ignited my interest in birds in general.

On 10 August, 2026, Jackie died. This page is a small tribute to her, because she meant a lot to me.

Friends of Big Bear Valley, or FOBBV, is a nonprofit organisation working to conserve the environment in Big Bear Valley. They maintain the two cameras at Jackie and Shadow's nest, and the related live streams. The FOBBV website has lots of useful information, including a detailed history of the nest and bald eagles in this area.

According to the FOBBV history, Jackie was the first ever bald eagle chick born in Big Bear Valley in 2012, and later took over the current nest when her parents left the area for unknown reasons. Since 2017, Jackie raised many bald eagle chicks, mostly with her long-term partner, Shadow.

In 2025 I watched Jackie and Shadow raise two likely-female chicks, Sunny and Gizmo. In 2026 Jackie's first clutch of eggs didn't hatch, but a second clutch was successful and two chicks fledged this year: Sandy and Luna.

In July 2026, Jackie got sick with an unknown illness. After being attacked by some unknown sub-adult bald eagles, she was rescued and taken to a treatment centre. Despite expert treatment, round-the-clock care, and lots of diagnostic testing, the rescue team couldn't save Jackie, and she died on 10 August. The FOBBV website has more details on what happened during this period on their updates page.

I've collected on this page some of my favourite screen grabs of Jackie that I've saved over the past couple of years. I'll always be grateful to the FOBBV team for maintaining the cameras and live stream of the nest, and sharing updates about Jackie and her family. And I'll always remember Jackie as the original bald eagle who inspired my love of all raptors. Though she didn't even know it, she was famous all over the world and inspired many, many people to care about and protect our environment and wildlife. She'll be missed and remembered for a long time to come.