Eagles fans worried about their future are raising money to stop housing development. For many, the love for Jackie and Shadow runs deep.
A live camera of the great black eagle provides an impressive view of the eagle hatching and growing.
Viewers around the world follow California’s great eagle family and share emotional moments as their story unfolds live.
BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. – While drinking her first cup of coffee every morning and before going to bed each night, Australian Roslyn Ward checks in on her California bald eagle family more than 11,500 miles away.
Like millions of other people in the United States and around the world, Ward is glued to her YouTube channel. The channel provides 24/7 live coverage of bald eagles from their nest in Big Bear Lake, a small mountain community 160 miles east of Los Angeles.
“I’m basically on the other side of the world and I’m telling everyone about it,” said Ms Ward, 75, who lives on the outskirts of Sydney. “I show them the clips and say, ‘Look at this and see how much the chick has grown.’ People think I’m crazy.”
From Kissimmee, Florida to Wellington, New Zealand, fans are transfixed by Big Bear Lake’s bald eagle couple, Jackie and Shadow. People don’t just enjoy watching Jackie and Shadow fortify the nest, sit on the eggs, fly home with freshly caught fish, and feed the eagles.
For many, it’s much deeper.
Joy Woods of Zeeland, Michigan, found Jackie and Shadow after her husband died and said they were “a great light during a difficult time.” Betty Joy, who lives in Puyallup, Washington, said watching Jackie and Shadow’s “trials and triumphs” reminds her of her late father, who loved eagles. And Yvonne Grosjean, who lives in Zurich, Switzerland, feels a deep connection to eagles and considers them like her own pets.
“My emotions are completely invested in that nest,” Ward said, starting to cry as she remembered when Jackie and Shadow lost one of their three eagles in a winter storm last year.
Jackie and Shadow’s newest chicks are Sandy and Luna, who hatched about a month ago. The babies are growing and thriving, but eagle fans know that anything can happen between now and when they can take flight from the nest for the first time (called fledging) in late June or early July. Threats include winter storms and predators such as hawks. Or it could simply fall out of the nest.
“When I log in every day and I know they’re safe, I think, ‘Thank God,'” Ward said.
Also worrying Eagle fans these days is the specter of a multi-million dollar development less than three miles from Jackie and Shadow’s longtime nest. Conservationists say new homes along the coast could force Jackie and Shadow out of town and end the lives of millions of people who love them.
As eagle fans worry about their future and raise money to stop their development, USA TODAY traveled to Big Bear Lake to find out how the community feels about the eagles that have garnered so much attention and changed lives.
Jackie and Shadow have been local favorites for years
Long before the world met Jackie and Shadow on webcam in 2015, Big Bear Lake locals were obsessed with eagles.
With a population of only about 5,000 people, both working class and billionaires, the Eagles not only attract international attention, but are also frequently talked about locally, as many locals are genuine fans. Live streams of Jackie and Shadow are playing on TVs in cafes, shops, and even the town’s hospital. Many companies sell Jackie and Shadow merchandise, including eagle T-shirts, eagle stuffed animals, and even nail files with eagle designs on them.
It seems like everyone in town has a breathtaking story about their own encounter with an eagle.
“I saw this huge bird sitting on top of my house next to the lake and thought, ‘What the heck is this?'” said Laurel Todd, 24, who moved to Big Bear from Portland, Oregon, two years ago. “When I took a closer look, I realized it was one of the young eagles that had just hatched a few months ago. I thought, ‘Oh my god, this is Sunny or Gizmo!'” It was really exciting. ”
Chelsea Robinson, who works with a nonprofit that operates livestream cameras, has encountered it twice.
“Last year, we were fishing on the lake and one of them jumped right next to our boat and caught a fish. It was like a dream,” she gasped. “One time, I think it was Shadow, he flew over me in the backyard and perched in a tree next to me. It was so cool that he died a little bit inside.”
Big Bear Lake has become so synonymous with eagles that Mayor Randall Putz said he gets asked about them every time he leaves town.
“Everywhere I go, when I say I’m from Big Bear Lake, people say, ‘Oh, you’re the eagle mayor,'” Putz recently told USA TODAY. “Everyone knows about Big Bear and everyone knows about our eagles. So it definitely raised our profile worldwide.”
It all started in 2012 when Jackie was hatched in Big Bear Valley by her parents Ricky and Lucy, according to the conservation group Friends of Big Bear Valley, which operates the webcam.
Big Bear resident Sandy Stairs lives half a mile from where Jackie was hatched and has been watching her growth from afar.
“I could see her practicing flying and I could see them (Lucy and Ricky) bringing her food,” Stairs told USA TODAY in 2023. “I would stand there for hours every day and just look, because I was fascinated. It hooked me, and then I wanted to see more.”
That’s when Stairs and U.S. Forest Service officials came up with the idea to install a webcam. It took two years to raise the $10,000 needed to purchase and install the solar-powered camera, which was placed about 40 feet above the forest floor.
Since then, fans have eagerly waited every year to see if Jackie will lay eggs. They then wait to see if the eggs hatch and whether the resulting eagles survive.
In more than 10 years in Big Bear Valley, Jackie and Shadow have lost more than a dozen eggs and eagles. They raised about 6 chicks. Last year, they laid three eggs, but only two survived after a storm hit the area in late winter.
Expansion of fan base turns into tourism
Since cameras were installed on their nests, Jackie and Eagle have become more famous each year. It attracts tourists from out of state and abroad who want to see it in person.
On a recent Thursday, Karen and Richard Soichelli of Diamond Bar, Calif., sat side by side in camp chairs, staring through binoculars at Jackie and Shadow’s nest from about a mile away.
The 39-year-old couple drove two hours from their home to Big Bear Lake as part of a birthday trip to see eagles for Karen’s 61st birthday.
“It feels a little surreal to be so close,” she said. “It’s exhilarating to watch them fly and soar.”
About 100 yards away, in his office at Captain John’s Fawn Harbor and Marina, John Saunders bent down to adjust one of two telescopes set up for visitors to view the eagles. He helps point out which trees are Jackie and Shadow trees and how people can tell when they see an eagle flying or if it’s another large local bird like a crow or turkey vulture.
“The more people know about this movie, the more people want to come see it… from Ohio, from Germany, from France,” he said. “They’re excited because they can come here and see it directly instead of through a camera that’s like five seconds late. They can look out of the scope and see it directly and say, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe what I just saw.'”
However, visitors can cause problems. The U.S. Forest Service closes trails in the area during nesting season and has posted signs making it clear that the area is closed to traffic to protect the eagles and violators may be subject to penalties.
Still, some people try to climb over fences and “no trespassing” signs to get to the nest. Sometimes voices can be heard from the livestream cameras, which can upset eagle enthusiasts watching online.
According to the tourism website Discover Big Bear Lake, “The exact location is intentionally not advertised in detail. … Too much foot traffic and attention can stress the birds, especially during nesting season.” “There is a strong local understanding that protecting the nest is more important than accessing it.”
As passion for eagles grows, so does the controversy.
As passion for eagles grows, so does controversy over what conservationists say could disturb their habitat. This includes development, Fourth of July fireworks, and forest thinning operations to prevent wildfires.
Most recently, the nonprofit that manages Eagle Camera has been working to raise money to buy out a developer who wants to build waterfront homes in Jackie and Shadow’s territory.
Friends of Big Bear Valley has raised about $2.5 million in just three months and is on track to reach $10 million by the end of July. Donations have been coming in from local residents and fans from around the world.
Liz Corey, from Liverpool, UK, said she was “fixed by the eagle morning, noon and night” and was so concerned about the outbreak that she had asked actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio for help. Christine Kirby, who lives on Australia’s Hindmarsh Island, said she donated to the fund to stop development because she is “invested in protecting the environment.”
“More needs to be done to protect our national symbols,” Cawley said.
John Saunders, who operates the telescope where visitors can view the eagles, said he had been observing the eagles since 2012, when Jackie was a chick. Although he loves eagles more than anyone else, he supports development, saying it’s good for the area. He isn’t worried about fireworks or forest thinning disturbing the eagles.
“There’s a 50-member motorcycle club buzzing around there all day long with cars passing by. It doesn’t affect them in any way,” he said. “That’s 250th American National Day. There should be a fireworks display over Big Bear. ”
Jackie and Shadow are about “family, love and survival”
While the humans on the ground argue, Jackie and Shadow continue to stay alive by flapping their wings, avoiding predators, and flying through the air. The simplicity of its existence is part of its charm.
Nicole Godfrey from South Australia said: “I love watching Jackie and Shadow prepare their nest so meticulously and take such good care of their babies, and I’m so in awe of nature and its wonders.”
Denise Marie Drapala of Chicago said it was very calming to see the eagle “in the midst of all the hatred that is spreading across our country and the divisions that we are experiencing.”
“There’s no politics, there’s no drama,” she said. “There is only family, love and survival.”
Roslyn Ward, who lives in Australia, said she plans to keep an eye on Jackie and Shadow as long as they live in their Big Bear Lake nest.
“It puts my mind at ease. Even though I live in Sydney, I feel like I’m part of something. I feel like I’m part of the Big Bear community,” she said. “I saw that nest, I saw that view, I actually scouted the town, and I thought, ‘Oh my god, I want to go to that place.'”
Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter who covers the death penalty, cold case investigations, breaking news, and occasional eagles. − For USA TODAY. Follow her on X at @amandaleeusat.
