Big Bear Lake Bald Eagles
Jackie & Shadow
High above Big Bear Lake, there’s a pair of very famous locals you won’t bump into in the Village or at the grocery store. Jackie and Shadow are a wild bald eagle pair that has claimed our mountains as their year‑round home, nesting in a huge Jeffrey pine on the forested north shore of the lake.
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Over the years they’ve become a Big Bear legend. Their nest sits in the middle of San Bernardino National Forest, and each season they rebuild their stick palace, ride out winter storms, and when things go well, raise a new generation of eaglets. Instead of crowds gathering under the tree, the action is shared with the world through a set of nest cameras. The local nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley worked with wildlife experts and the Forest Service to design cameras that are safe for the birds and the tree, then streams the eagles’ daily lives online 24/7.​
If you tune in during late fall, winter, or early spring, you’ll usually catch the most “eagle drama”: stick‑collecting, nest rearranging, egg‑laying, and the parents trading off long incubation shifts through snow, wind, and sunshine. As the season goes on, tiny gray chicks appear, grow into awkward, fluffy teenagers, and eventually take their first flights out over the lake. Some years bring big successes, others are tougher, and that mix of joy and heartbreak is part of watching truly wild animals rather than a zoo exhibit.
​​​Because Jackie and Shadow are wild residents, the area around their nesting tree is closed by the Forest Service to give them space and keep human disturbance to a minimum. The best way to visit them is from your cabin couch, watching the eagle cams instead of trying to hike in for a closer look.​ Even if you never spot them in person, knowing that a bald eagle pair is nesting above the trees while you’re here adds a little extra magic to a Big Bear getaway.