Who Are Jackie and Shadow? How Big Bear’s Eagle Couple Became a Viral Livestream Sensation
Meet Jackie and Shadow, Big Bear’s viral bald eagle couple capturing millions on a live nest cam.
A pair of bald eagles nesting in a Southern California pine tree has amassed a following that rivals mid-tier cable programming. Jackie and Shadow, as they’re known, draw tens of thousands of simultaneous viewers during key nesting moments through a livestream operated by the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley. Their combined social media reach: approximately 1.2 million followers on Facebook and over 740,000 subscribers on YouTube.
If you haven’t encountered this yet, here’s what you need to know, why it’s captured so many people’s attention, and how to start watching.
What’s happening in Big Bear
Jackie and Shadow are a bonded bald eagle pair nesting near Big Bear Lake in California. They’ve nested together for eight years and raised eaglets including Sunny and Gizmo in 2024. Friends of Big Bear Valley broadcasts their daily lives, from nest-building and egg-laying to feeding and defending territory, through cameras installed at the nest site. The first camera went up in October 2015, and a second was added in 2021.
The story took a dramatic turn in late January 2026. After thousands of viewers watched Jackie and Shadow prepare their nest via the livestream, ravens ate the eagles’ eggs while the nest was left unattended. Weeks later, Sandy Steers, the 73-year-old executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, died following a private battle with cancer. Facebook posts announcing the loss of Steers and the eggs received more than 12,000 comments.
Then came the rebound. Jackie and Shadow resumed nest-building behavior and mating, according to observations documented by the nonprofit. In late February, Jackie laid a new egg, followed by a second egg days later. A Facebook announcement of the new egg received approximately 69,000 likes.
That cycle of loss, resilience, and renewal is a big part of what hooks people.
The backstory is deeper than you’d expect
Jackie’s own origin story reads like a nature documentary script. The eagle population in Big Bear dates back to at least 2009, when a tagged male eagle stayed in the area year-round instead of migrating. A breeding pair eventually formed and built a nest near the north side of the lake. The U.S. Forest Service named that pair Ricky and Lucy. Jackie hatched from their nest in 2012.
Jackie later returned to the nesting area and paired with a male known as Mr. B. Together, they produced offspring including BBB (Big Bear Baby) and Stormy. BBB died during severe weather, while Stormy survived. In 2018, an adult male eagle later named Shadow displaced Mr. B. and formed a new pair with Jackie. They’ve been together since.
Jenny Voisard, media and website manager for Friends of Big Bear Valley, described Jackie’s appeal to the Los Angeles Times in March 2026: “There’s so many different sides to Jackie. She’s fierce, she’s gentle, she’s demanding. She’s nurturing. She’s a mother. She’s a warrior.”
As for Shadow, Voisard said he’s “very protective. He’s also very giving and generous. He doesn’t give up easily and he’s a very attentive father.”
Those character descriptions aren’t casual anthropomorphism. They come from continuous monitoring by the nonprofit’s volunteers and contractors, who track activity including nesting behavior, egg-laying, and feeding around the clock.
Why this audience keeps growing
The livestream audience for Jackie and Shadow exceeds that of many other eagle cams in the United States, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley. Part of the draw is emotional investment built up over years of watching the same pair navigate real stakes, from territorial battles to weather events to predators.
Voisard spoke about the late Sandy Steers’ role in building that connection: “Her stories just were so calming,” Voisard told the Los Angeles Times. “would just bring you to the nest.”
The nest cam also functions as an educational tool used by schools, and a wide audience tunes in to observe wildlife behavior in real time.
The conservation stakes are real
The bald eagle population in the contiguous United States declined significantly by the 1960s due to hunting and pesticide use, including DDT, but rebounded following legal protections and the banning of DDT. Biologist Pete Bloom estimates there are at least 22 bald eagle pairs in Southern California.
“Who cannot appreciate a bird of prey?” Bloom told the Los Angeles Times. “Looking at it, whether it’s perched or soaring or dealing with the capture of its prey, it’s pretty impressive.”
Jackie and Shadow still face threats that are common to bald eagles across the region: rat poison, power line electrocution, lead poisoning, West Nile virus, and avian flu.
A more immediate concern is development pressure near the nest. San Bernardino County approved a 50-home development project known as Moon Camp in September despite objections from Friends of Big Bear Valley. The nonprofit has launched a $10 million fundraising effort to purchase the land.
How to start watching
If you’re curious about tuning in, a few practical details:
- The livestream runs continuously on YouTube, so you can check in at any time of day.
- Friends of Big Bear Valley has approximately 1.2 million followers on Facebook, where the community posts updates and reacts to nesting developments.
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