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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: 01/27/26

There's an egg in the nest! Hip-hip-hooray for the 2026 winter season!

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.

We Have Another Egg!

The 2026 winter season is off to an amazing start with a beautiful beginning of life!

A photo of Jackie the eagle standing up after laying her second egg of the season in January 2026.
A photo of Jackie the eagle laying her first egg in January 2026.
A photo of Jackie the eagle looking at her newly laid egg in January 2026.

Watch the Live Eagle Cam!

Egg-citing News Of 2026

January 1/26/2026 - We have a second egg in the nest! Hip-Hip-Hooray!

January 1/23/2026 - A new egg has been laid! Let's all cheer on Jackie and hope for a good 2026 season.

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!