10 things you might not know about bald eagles Jackie and Shadow
Popular Science...
Thanks to the powers of modern technology and dedicated volunteers, we have a front seat to the fascinating lives of bald eagles. Jackie and Shadow‘s everyday antics air 24/7 on YouTube thanks to the tireless work of the volunteers at Friends of Big Bear Valley. Tens of thousands of people tune in to watch the pair’s triumphs and tragedies.
So while you might feel like you know a lot about the eagle couple, who first got together in 2017, you probably don’t know everything.
1. Jackie was named after a Forest Service volunteer
Prior to the 2011-2012 nesting season, no bald eagle chicks were known to hatch in Big Bear Valley. That changed with the arrival of Jack. Born to Lucy and Ricky, a pair that arrived in the area a couple years earlier, Jack was named in honor of a long-time Forest Service volunteer. Once Jack grew larger than both its parents, it became obvious she was a female, so Jack was renamed Jackie.
2. Jackie also had a brother named Shadow
During the 2014-2015 nesting season, Jackie’s parents, Lucy and Ricky, had a chick successfully fledge from the nest. A group of third graders and the Forest Service named that eagle Shadow. That’s not the Shadow who is the current partner of Jackie.
3. Bald eagles bond over nest building
If you’ve ever tuned into FOBBV’s live cam between October and December, you’ve likely seen Jackie and Shadow delivering a bounty of fresh sticks to their nest. Shadow’s enthusiasm for stick delivery does sometimes mean Jackie getting whacked in the head, as you can see in one of many hilarious fan compilations.
Despite the accidental thumps, nest building is actually a relationship activity for bald eagle pairs. According to FOBBV, “bald eagles are known as ‘compulsive nest builders,’ and bringing and arranging sticks is part of their bonding process.”
4. Jackie has an ex: Mr. B
The Real Next Husbands of Big Bear Valley, coming to Bravo next fall. Not really. But Jackie and Shadow‘s pairing was not without drama. During the 2016-2017 nesting season, a male bald eagle started hanging out with a then-5-year-old Jackie. By this point, Jackie had taken over her parents’ old nest. Jackie and Mr. B were caught mating on camera, but the encounter did not produce any eggs.
During the next nesting season, Mr. B and Jackie successfully hatched two chicks. One chick, named Stormy, survived and before the eaglet fledged, a new adult male started hanging out on the nest. Jackie, Mr. B, and Stormy tried to chase away the persistent intruder, but he refused to leave. Mr. B eventually gave up and left the nest. The intruder became Jackie’s new mate and is the eagle she’s still with today. He is of course Shadow, but not to be confused with Jackie’s sibling mentioned earlier.
It’s unclear what happened to Mr. B.
5. At least two of Jackie’s offspring have died after fledging
Only about 70 percent of bald eagles survive the first year after fledging. The biggest threats for young eagles are car collisions, off-road vehicles, lead poisoning, and power lines, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Jackie has lost at least two offspring after fledging. Stormy (fathered by Mr. B) and Simba (fathered by Shadow) were each found deceased in Southern California at separate locations. The birds were banded, which confirmed their identities. The eaglets are no longer banded, so it’s unclear if later chicks, like 2025’s Sunny and Gizmo, have survived on their own.
6. Shadow stepped up when the pair lost a chick
During the 2024-2025 nesting season, Jackie and Shadow successfully hatched three chicks in early March. Overnight on March 13, a strong storm system swept over the area, dumping snow on the nest along with powerful winds. The next morning, only two chicks appeared to be in the nest. It was later confirmed that the oldest chick didn’t survive the storm when Shadow appeared to remove the eaglet’s body from the center of the nest bowl.
According to FOBBV, it appeared Jackie struggled with the loss and spent more time than usual off the nest. Shadow took longer shifts protecting the surviving chicks. Jackie was later seen removing the deceased chick for a forest burial.
7. Shadow weighs 7-12 pounds, Jackie weighs 11-14 pounds
Female bald eagles are larger than males, so it shouldn’t surprise you that Jackie weighs more than Shadow. The size difference is most apparent when the duo sits next to each other.
8. Jackie and Shadow can recognize each other’s ‘voices’
Eagle hearing is similar to what we can hear as humans and like humans, paired birds can recognize each other’s voices. While they don’t have the super-hearing skills like owls, they can hear when one bird communicates requests. These requests can be one eagle telling the other that they’re ready to swap nest duties or that they’re ready to mate.
9. Jackie and Shadow’s nest was built in the 2012-2013 nesting season
Jackie and Shadow can thank Jackie’s parents for their current digs. Lucy and Ricky built the nest you see on the livecam during the 2012-2013 nesting season. Shortly after the 2011-2012 nesting season, when Jackie was born and eventually fledged, Lucy and Ricky’s old nest blew away in a strong storm.
The old nest sat at the top of a dead tree. The new nest occupied a nearby, stronger tree about 50 feet away from where Jackie was raised. Lucy and Ricky abandoned the new nest 2015-2016, opting instead to build a new nest nearby. At the beginning of the 2016-2017 nesting season, Lucy and Ricky disappeared from the area. It’s unknown where they went or what happened to them. But that same season, a juvenile female began hanging out at their old pad. Experts later guessed this was Jackie. She has been using the nest ever since.
10. Jackie has had 10 chicks (9 with Shadow)
Ten of Jackie’s chicks have successfully hatched, nine with Shadow and one with former partner, Mr. B. The chicks’ names are Stormy (born 2018), BBB (born 2018), Simba (born 2019), Cookie (born 2019), Spirit (born 2022), Misty (born 2025), Sunny (born 2025), Gizmo (born 2025), Sandy (born 2026), and Luna (born 2026).
Stormy, Simba, Spirit, Sunny, and Gizmo all successfully fledged. The current locations of Spirit, Sunny, and Gizmo are not known. According to FOBBV, fledglings from Southern California have been traveled as far south as Baja California, as far north as British Columbia, and as far east as Yellowstone National Park.
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