A look at Jackie the eagle's viral life, from livestreams to health battle

The

beloved California eagle, Jackie, passed away after weeks of battling injuries sustained in an altercation with two eagles.

For several years, a viral 24-hour livestream at Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains has been following the lives of two eagles, Jackie and Shadow. From Jackie being the first known eaglet to hatch at Big Bear Lake to her struggles with losing her eggs, the entire world has watched her through most of her life. Here's how we got to know Jackie.

A timeline of Jackie's life: The viral Big Bear Lake eagle

2012 - Jackie's born: Big Bear Lake, about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles, was once a part-time winter destination for eagles. That is, until parents Lucy and Ricky became the first known pair to stay. There, Jackie became the first hatched eaglet.
2015 - Livestream launches: Another chick named Shadow (different from Jackie's current mate) hatched and fledged. Meanwhile, after several years of raising money, Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV), a preservation group that monitors the eagles' lives, was able to install a nest camera. When the camera was installed, it was discovered that Lucy and Ricky moved, and the nest with the camera was empty.
2016 - Jackie returns home: However, that nest wasn't empty for too long. A sub female was spotted hanging around with Lucy and Ricky. FOBBV believe it to be Jackie. She later took over the old nest with the camera on it and settled in with a mate known as Mr. B.
2017 - Stormy arrives: Jackie laid eggs. The eggs eventually hatched and the eaglets were named Stormy and BBB, short for Big Bear Baby. BBB ultimately didn't survive a 24-hour rain storm and freezing temperatures, according to FOBBV, but Stormy survived and stayed in the area.
2018 - Shadow's in the picture: A male intruder showed up at the nest and refused to be chased away, FOBBV said. The eagle was named Shadow, since they believed he might've been Ricky and Lucy's fledgling. This eagle was later determined to be older than the fledgling, but the name stuck. Mr. B eventually left the area after Shadow refused to be chased away, and Jackie accepted Shadow as her new mate.
2019 - Simba hatches: Jackie laid eggs and they hatched. The eaglets were named Simba and Cookie. Cookie died at 6 weeks old after a rain and snow storm. Simba fledged and was last seen in August.
2020 - Jackie's eggs never hatched: Jackie laid eggs, but they never hatched. The eagles left the eggs unattended for more and more time, until a raven came to the nest and cracked the eggs.
2021 - More egg troubles: Jackie laid the first egg of the season, but FOBBV said they weren't incubating or protecting it after it was laid for unknown reasons. A raven came the next morning and destroyed the egg. Jackie laid two more eggs. One egg was broken, and the other egg was eaten by a raven. Jackie laid another clutch of eggs, and the first egg started to hatch in March, but by the next morning, FOBBV said there were no signs of life. After incubating another egg into April, the eagles started to leave it unattended. A raven cracked the egg open, and FOBBV said it appeared the chick never fully developed.
2022 - Spirit is born: Jackie laid two more eggs in January. One egg hatched in March and the chick was named Spirit, while the other failed. Spirit fledged successfully in May.
2023 - Jackie loses eggs: Jackie laid another two eggs in January. While the eggs were left unattended in March, ravens reached both eggs. FOBBV said the eggs showed that they weren't fertilized, and no development was seen.
2023 - Jackie loses more: Stormy and Simba were reportedly found dead.
2024 - Jackie's eggs don't hatch: Jackie laid three eggs, but none of them hatched for unknown reasons.
2025 - In comes Sunny and Gizmo: Jackie laid three eggs, and all three hatched in March. After a snowstorm in March, one chick died. The surviving chicks were named Sunny and Gizmo, while the chick that passed away was named Misty after a volunteer that died a few years ago. Both chicks fledged.
Jan. 2026 - Eggs breached: Jackie laid two more eggs in late January, but the nest was breached by ravens, who destroyed the eggs.
February 2026 - Hope with more eggs: An egg is spotted on the 24 hour live stream just a month after the other two eggs were breached by ravens. Jackielaid another egg days later.
March 2026: Shortly after laying her two eggs, Jackie disappeared for a few days. The nonprofit monitoring the birds said this is unusual for Jackie, especially during nesting season. Thankfully, Jackie returned. She wasn’t seen or heard for over 20 hours, but she returned to her nest. While she was gone, Shadow was caring for the eggs.
April 2026: The chicks began to emerge out of their shells. One chick popped its head out on April 4 and hatched at night. The second chick hatched in the early morning of April 5. The chicks were filmed pecking and pushing each other in the following days - a common behavior for chicks.
May 2026: Fans of the bald eagle couple flock to Big Bear Lake trying to catch a glimpse of the new family. Tourists took charters and camped out to see the territory of Jackie and Shadow. Meanwhile, millions of people across the world were still watching from the 24 hour livestream.
June 2026: The livestream showed one of the eagletsfalling from the nest. The nonprofit said the two chicks, Sandy and Luna, were getting back into the nest when Luna jumped over Sandy, and Sandy fell from the branches. While it was a big spill, the nonprofit said “Sandy looked good in her flight,” and was being taken care of by her parents. This came just before the Fourth of July fireworks were set for a show in the mountain town, but a petition on Change.org tried to change those plans. The petition urged Big Bear’s leadership to reconsider the show because of Jackie and Shadow with a nest nearby. The petition said the new eaglets haven’t “fledged” or taken their first flight, and it didn’t want the fireworks to scare off the parents.
July 4, 2026: Jackie and Shadow fled the nest during the Fourth of July celebrations, leaving the two eaglets. The nonprofit said the parents returned home the next day, and the eaglets were still sleeping through the show.
July 17, 2026: Jackie was seen in an “altercation”with two subadult eagles. The nonprofit said Jackie fended off the eagles with her talons, but couldn't fly far. The public found Jackie and called several agencies for help. Capt. Dennis Jones and a team with the San Bernardino County fire station responded. They were eventually able to get in touch with San Dimas Raptor Rescue of the Los Angeles County Parks Department. The team stayed with Jackie until 2 a.m. when the rescue team arrived.
July 18, 2026: Friends of Big Bear Valley's Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam said an eagle believed to be Jackie was brought in "weak and vulnerable," and was recovering at the Ojai Raptor Center, about 180 miles west of Big Bear Lake.
July 20, 2026: Jackie was in stable condition and the nonprofit said it was waiting on diagnostic results that could take several days. Jackie was underweight but eating with assistance.
July 21, 2026: The Ojai Raptor Center said it was still waiting on results, but initial bloodwork showed Jackie had severe anime and inflammation affecting kidney stones. They said her “condition remains critical,” and it’s too early to predict the outcome.
July 21, 2026: The raptor center said Jackie was anemic and has inflammation affecting her kidneys. They were still waiting on results for any sign of lead, zinc or rodenticide levels.
July 23, 2026: The tests came back and the FOBBV said there was no lead found in the lead toxicity results and they're still waiting for the zinc levels. She is being treated for rodenticides, even though they don’t believe that’s the issue. Jackie was severely anemic, although veterinarians don’t know why. She underwent a blood transfusion.
July 26, 2026: The sub adult that was likely battling with Jackie was spotted in the habitat for several days, FOBBV said. Shadow showed defensive behavior against the sub adult while Sandy and Luna were at the nest. The last time Sandy and Luna were seen on camera was on July 23, although it’s completely normal for eaglets to leave around this age.
July 27, 2026: Veterinarians worked to find the underlying cause of her illness as Jackie received prophylactic treatments. The raptor center said that after showing improvement from her blood transfusion, her blood values declined again. However, she was improving again and eating on her own. There still isn’t a definitive diagnosis.
Aug. 5, 2026: FOBBV determined that after not being seen since July 23, eaglets Luna and Sandy apparently left the valley. Meanwhile, Jackie underwent advanced diagnostics, including a contrast CT scan and bone marrow biopsy.
Aug. 1, 2026: Veterinarians worked around the clock with Jackie, who was battling severe anemia. Veterinarians attempted to determine Jackie’s mysterious illness, but bloodwork showed modest improvement.
Aug. 9, 2026: Jackie was still “critically ill.” The raptor center said "the past 24 hours have been incredibly difficult." Jackie was "currently unstable" and her packed cell volume remained critically low with her overall condition described as "extremely serious."
Aug. 10, 2026: After three weeks of intensive medical care, the raptor center announced that Jackie passed away. Jackie received oxygen therapy and supportive treatment, but remained “critically ill.” Her remains were transferred to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. "Soar free Jackie," the center said.