Jackie, the bald eagle whose nest at Big Bear Lake, California, has been watched by a worldwide audience on a livestream since 2015, died in the overnight hours of Sunday, August 9, 2026, at the Ojai Raptor Center after more than three weeks of intensive care, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said in announcing her death.
Key facts
- Who: Jackie, the bald eagle watched via livestream at Big Bear Lake since 2015 — an identification that rested on circumstantial evidence, since she was never fitted with a leg band.
- When: She died in the overnight hours of Sunday, August 9, 2026, per the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, after more than three weeks of intensive care.
- Where: She was found grounded near Dana Point Park, a landmark at Big Bear Lake, in mid-July 2026, and was treated at the Ojai Raptor Center.
- Diagnosis: Severe anemia and kidney inflammation; testing ruled out lead poisoning and swallowed objects, and showed no sign of cancer or metal objects, but what caused the anemia and kidney inflammation was never determined.
- Survivors: Her mate, Shadow, and this year’s chicks, Sandy and Luna, who had already fledged and had not been seen on the nest cam since July 23.
Uncertain identification
Jackie was never fitted with a leg band, so nothing physically marked the injured eagle as the bird known from the livestream. Her identity rested on circumstantial evidence — her absence from the nest, the location where the injured eagle was found, and eyewitness accounts. A later review of photos and video led Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV), the nonprofit that runs the nest cam, to say it believed the bird was Jackie. Most outlets covering her death referred to her simply as Jackie; ABC News described her as an eagle “presumed to be Jackie.”
The center’s statement
“It is with profound sadness that we share that Patient 26-519 passed away in the early hours of this morning, following more than three weeks of intensive medical care,” the center said in a statement. It has referred to the eagle throughout as Patient 26-519, saying only that the patient was believed to be part of a well-known breeding pair from the Big Bear area. It said her condition had continued to deteriorate over the past several days despite treatment from its veterinary team and consulting specialists, and that she remained critically ill, receiving oxygen therapy and around-the-clock monitoring in intensive care.
The injury and rescue
She was found grounded near a spot called Dana Point Park — a local landmark at the north end of Big Bear Lake — in mid-July 2026, unable to fly after a fight on the ground with two younger, subadult bald eagles. ABC7’s coverage reported she was already anemic before that fight, so it is unclear how much the altercation itself contributed to her decline. A team from the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation’s San Dimas Raptor Rescue drove out, recovered her, and transferred her to the Ojai Raptor Center, where she was treated as an adult female estimated by Friends of Big Bear Valley to be about 14 years old.
Diagnosis and treatment
At the center, veterinarians diagnosed severe anemia along with inflammation affecting her kidneys. In the days that followed, she received a blood transfusion from Spirit, a longtime resident eagle at the California Living Museum (CALM Zoo) in Bakersfield — a different, unrelated bird from the eaglet also named Spirit that Jackie and Shadow raised in an earlier year. The center called it “a successful life-saving transfusion, made possible through the generosity of Spirit.” Doctors ran CT imaging and a bone marrow biopsy, along with repeated bloodwork and toxicology testing. The tests ruled out lead poisoning and swallowed objects such as fishing hooks, line or weights, and showed no sign of cancer or metal objects. Even so, what triggered the anemia and kidney inflammation was never determined.
Her final days
Jackie was moved out of intensive care around July 29, an encouraging milestone at the time. Her condition later worsened, and she was returned to intensive care; by Sunday, August 9, the team was treating her for anemia that would not respond to treatment. She died during that night. In the days before her death, the Ojai Raptor Center said fabricated photographs purporting to show her in veterinary care, along with unverified rumors, were circulating online and had become a distraction for its small care team.
Shadow and the eaglets
Jackie’s mate, Shadow, survives her and remains in the Big Bear area. “The chances are high that he would find a new mate,” FOBBV media manager Jenny Voisard said, adding, “We don’t know what he’s going to do exactly. We can’t predict those outcomes.” Shadow is roughly 12 years old, and bald eagles can live 15 to 25 years. The pair’s two chicks from this year, Sandy and Luna, had already fledged and had not been seen on the nest cam since July 23 — the nest is currently empty. Over the years, Jackie and Shadow raised several eaglets together — among them Simba, Spirit (the eaglet, a different bird from the transfusion donor of the same name), Sunny and Gizmo, along with Sandy and Luna this year — though this list of names may not account for every chick from their broods. FOBBV said it has no plans to remove the live nest cam.
What happens next
Jackie’s remains have been transferred to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, according to KESQ. The Ojai Raptor Center said it is working with that agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and plans to release a more comprehensive statement with additional details about her treatment and test results.
Tributes
Tributes followed the news of her death. “Jackie was an amazing bald eagle,” Voisard said. “She was in charge of the nest. She was in charge of Shadow. Shadow did everything he could to be by her side and be her mate, and she taught us about nature. She taught us about family. She told us about ourselves, and she is deeply missed and loved.” FOBBV’s own public tribute read, in part, “Soar free Jackie…” The Ojai Raptor Center said caring for her had been “an extraordinary privilege.” Members of the public have been leaving flowers and photos at a growing memorial near Big Bear Lake; there is no confirmation of an official memorial event from either organization.