Big Bear bald eagle fans woke up Saturday to alarming, then relieving news: Jackie, who hadn’t been seen in nearly 24 hours, has returned to the nest.
“Dear Eagle Family…things are not as they usually tend to be at the Big Bear Bald Eagle Nest,” Friends of Big Bear Valley, which operates a livestream of Jackie and her mate Shadow’s nest and habitat and publishes an “Eagle Log” with updates on the birds’ statuses, said on social media early Saturday morning.
The post explained that Jackie had not been seen in the habitat area since 11:44 a.m. on Friday, which was over 20 hours as of the post’s publishing. She was heard and seen “chortling and soaring” on a camera in the area around that time, but there was no sign of her after that.
Shadow guarded the eggs on Friday afternoon and “took the night shift as well,” FOBBV said, adding that he did “a great job.”
“This morning, Shadow briefly left the nest a few times and was seen soaring higher and higher on Camera 2, likely scanning the area for his mate,” Saturday’s post reads.
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Shortly after that post was published, FOBBV went right back to Instagram to report that Jackie had returned, much to the delight of all those who observe the nest and beloved birds.
“We do not know where she was, but she is back and Shadow did a fantastic job caring for the eggs in her absence!” the organization said.
At least one commenter surmised that Jackie may not have wanted or been able to fly back to the nest due to the strong Santa Ana winds in SoCal this weekend. Most comments, however, expressed relief that Jackie was back safe and sound.
A still image from the Friends of Big Bear Valley Eagle Cam taken just before 10 a.m. on Mar. 7, 2026. (Friends of Big Bear Valley)
Jackie and Shadow welcomed their first egg of the year on Jan. 24, and their second egg of 2026 followed three days later, but on Jan. 30, a raven attacked the nest and destroyed both eggs.
The couple persevered, though, and about a month later on Feb. 25, Jackie laid the first egg of her second clutch of 2026.
The pair successfully raised two eaglets, Sunny and Gizmo, last spring. A third chick named Misty died during a winter storm last year.
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