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A close-up headshot of a bald eagle in residence at the Big Bear Alpine Zoo. The bird is black & white with a yellow beak

Big Bear Bald Eagle Watch

Posted: 03/17/25

Updates: March 17

Jackie & Shadow are Big Bear Lake's resident wild bald eagles. Each year, the duo returns to their nest in the valley to prep for a new clutch of eggs and hatchlings. The Friends of the Big Bear Valley maintains the famous Big Bear Eagle Cam that draws thousands of viewers world-wide to watch the life and times of Jackie & Shadow.

Honoring & Celebrating Life

The Big Bear Valley experienced a heavy snow storm beginning from March 13. Over the course of the multi-day storm, one of the eaglets succumbed to an unknown cause.

While this news is difficult to hear, we are incredibly thankful to know there are still 2 healthy eaglets in the nest. We invite everyone to honor a life lost while celebrating the beautiful life that remains.

An Egg-citing 2025!

March 16, 2025: With great sadness, the Friends of the Big Bear Valley announced the death of one of the eaglets.

March 6, 2025: The third egg showed signs of hatching, with a "pip" visible, indicating a chick was inside.

March 4, 2025: The second eaglet hatched around 4:30 a.m.

March 3, 2025: The first eaglet hatched around 11:30 p.m.

March 1, 2025: Pip Watch Begins! What does this mean? A pip is a small hole in the egg shell created by the chick using its egg tooth. It is the beginning of the hatching process!

January 28, 2025: Egg #3 arrived at 5:40 PM! This is only the second time that Jackie has laid 3 eggs in one clutch.

January 25, 2025: Egg #2 has arrived at 4:45 PM!

January 22, 2025: It's here! Jackie the Bald Eagle laid her first egg of 2025 at 5:06 PM. An average, the gestation phase between egg lay and first pip is 35 days.

Watch the Live Eagle Cam!

Eagle Protection - Forest Closure Order

Every year, the San Bernardino National Forest places a Forest Closure Order to protect the eagle habitat from human activity in their vicinity. Disturbances can cause eagles to abandon their nests, even when eggs or eaglets are present.

Please respect the forest closure in place from December 1, 2024. The closure includes:

Gates will be closed to block off these areas to traffic.

A bald eagle spreads its wings to fly from a snowy tree branch in a green, pine forest. Snow is visible on all the branches.

History of Bald Eagles in Big Bear

According to Friends of Big Bear Valley, the eagles’ nest has been in active use since the fall of 2013. The surrounding area is annually closed to the public to protect the eagles.

In 2012, the first bald eagle chick (at least the first in recorded history) hatched in the Big Bear Valley. She was successfully raised to fledge. Since then, about a dozen eggs have been laid with just a fraction of them hatching and growing to maturity. Roughly 50% of eaglets survive to adulthood, making protection of their nesting habitat that much more important.

And what about that neat camera capturing all the excitement? The Eagle Cam was first installed in the fall of 2015 and recorded its first eagle nesting season in 2017.

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Friends of Big Bear Valley is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Your kindhearted support allows us to be who we are, Donate Today!