15 August 2026
Jackie and Shadow have been on my mind. It isn’t the first time we have lost a raptor that we loved. I adored Samson and worried for Gabby. I have missed Akecheta more than anyone could imagine, and then Thunder. Joe was very special to me because he openly mourned the bringing of the rat to the nest that killed Peace and Love. And then there were the ospreys. The death of Laddie LM12 broke my heart, and when I thought that Louis was no more, it broke further. They are clearly more than birds on a screen to us!
A prayer for Jackie from an unknown source:
We pause today to remember Jackie, the magnificent bald eagle whose spirit touched so many hearts across the world. Thank you for the grace, strength, and fierce devotion she brought into our lives, reminding us of the wild beauty of your creation.
We give thanks for the dedicated people at the Ojai Raptor Centre who offered her comfort, safety, and tender care in her final days. Bring peace and solace to all the heartbroken human caretakers and watchers who mourn her passing.
Wrap her loyal mate, Shadow, in comfort as he adjusts to life without her, and let Jackie soar now on strong, unburdened wings, free from pain and illness, resting forever in your eternal peace.
Beloved Big Bear bald eagle Jackie passed away on August 10, 2026, at the age of 14 after a weeks-long battle with a severe illness at the Ojai Raptor Centre. Her dedication to her mate Shadow and her resilience captivated millions worldwide through the Friends of Big Bear Valley live nest camera. Jackie will remain in our hearts. Will we ever forget the sound of her chortle? I don’t think so.
Healing takes time. As Alison points out, thank goodness those cute little sea eaglets hatched healthy and sweet.
Just a few more tributes and then I will stop and Jackie will live in my heart, your hearts, and on the memorial wall, bigger than life.
More musical tributes across YouTube: https://youtu.be/Aj2PIKWLnjA?
Another: “On 5/1/26 Jackie beelined to the lake to pull a fish for her eaglets. This video shows her buzzing by my camera and taking the fresh catch up to the nest. The song in this video I wrote a couple of months ago in hopes and anticipation of Jackie’s eggs hatching and an eaglet or two surviving. We all hope the two young eaglets make it to fledge and 2026 goes down in history as another successful one for Jackie & Shadow. Photography is from ground and lake level by Big Bear local Trisha Dale Green. Song created by Trisha Dale Green using SUNO.” https://youtu.be/gz7TQ-ANqeA?s
Interview with Sandy about Jackie: https://youtu.be/GyrxzROQb3A?
Another musical tribute: https://youtu.be/i46r75ojLlE?
‘A’ from Melbourne: “Hearts heavy with the tremendous grief at Jackie’s loss, thank goodness the hatch of the precious sea eaglets at Olympic Park comes as we need something this beautiful to remind us that the bird world keeps turning, emotionally and literally, and that no sadness can overwhelm the joy of a little fluff ball with a shiny black beak and the most adorable tiny pink feet. Mind you, I am very glad to be reminded just how fluffy and roomy Lady’s underfluffies are for two fuzzy hatchlings – it really is FREEZING in the early mornings in southeastern Australia at the moment, worse down here in Melbourne than in Sydney of course, but it’s great to see the dear little creatures snuggled up in their sea eagle doona. Meanwhile, I did adore the celebratory honking duet from Dad and Lady against the background of the ubiqitious currawong chorus. How can two such lovely raptors sound like an old engine on its very last legs?”
‘V’: “My first experience with watching any raptors was when I accidentally happened on a live video of Spirit hatching. Since then, I have become addicted to eagles, osprey and Albatross. Thank you, Jackie, for the memories.”
‘JM’: “This is heartbreaking news. I’m so thankful to have been able to watch Jackie and Shadow over the last couple years. She is with Sandy now.”
‘BA’: “Oh Mary Ann, tears are flowing… there are no words……”
‘L’: “This is heartbreaking news. I’m so thankful to have been able to watch Jackie and Shadow over the last couple years. She is with Sandy now. 🦅💔😔”
‘L’: “May she fly high over Big Bear and Reat in Peace in Heaven with all the others who have gone on before her. I think what hurts me the most is that she has passed away on my Birthday.
When we left this morning to go out to eat I didn’t know about it till we got back home. We love and miss you Jackie and we will
Always remember you ❤️🦅🙏”
‘R’:”Bon Voyage, Jackie; safe sailing. You will be missed forever, but your impact on our nation and media outlets will long be remembered. Thanks for allowing medical specialists to care for you and learn more about your condition, so that they may help other raptors in the future. Soar to the highest heights and watch over Shadow to choose a mate wisely. 🦅🪹🪺”
‘M’: “😢 Soar high up in the sky.”
‘L’:”When Harriet from the Southwest Florida nest disappeared I didn’t grieve as much as I am over Jackie. Harriet was so much older, although it was shocking too, I accepted it. M15 had those little eaglets to raise and I focused on that. I’m feeling more sorrowful over Jackie than I have over any human. I guess that sounds terrible.”
CC: “Christine’s Critters Inc.
Tonight, people across the world are grieving the loss of a remarkable bald eagle, Jackie. Jackie touched millions of lives simply by living hers. She invited us into her wild world, and somewhere along the way, she became part of ours. We all followed Jackie and Shadow through so many moments of their lives. We celebrated with them. We worried about them. Most importantly, we collectively cared about them.
To everyone at Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam, thank you for watching over Jackie and Shadow and for being a steward of their nest site. Thank you for sharing their lives with the world. You gave millions of us the opportunity to experience the wonder of wild bald eagles from wherever we happened to be. What you shared became so much bigger than a camera pointed at an eagle’s nest. You connected people to the natural world. Our hearts are with the entire Big Bear Valley community as you grieve the loss of an eagle who became such a beloved part of your lives.
To the entire team at the The Ojai Raptor Center we are thinking of you tonight. As a small raptor rehabilitation center in Connecticut, we understand how deeply it hurts to lose a patient. We know how much of yourselves you give to each animal. We know how fiercely you hold onto hope and fight for every possible chance at recovery. We are truly in awe of the extraordinary medical care she received throughout her journey. Your commitment to giving her every possible chance was evident every step of the way. Although the outcome was not the one any of us hoped for, she was surrounded by comfort and incredible love because of you. The care you gave her mattered. Our hearts are with every member of your team as you grieve this tremendous loss.
I always smiled when Jackie and Shadow made the national news. There was something incredibly hopeful about seeing the entire country follow along and grow to love these two wild bald eagles. Almost everywhere we go to present a wildlife program this past year, someone asks me, “Have you heard of Jackie and Shadow?” I always smile. Of course I have.
In many ways, Jackie and Shadow became my wild comrades in education. People cared about them, so they wanted to learn more. They learned what life is really like for a wild bald eagle. They also began to understand the dangers eagles and other wildlife face every day. Jackie and Shadow opened the door to conversations about wildlife that those of us in conservation work so hard to have. Jackie made millions of people care about bald eagles. She made them care about the wild places they need to survive. She made people care about protecting the natural world we all share.
Just weeks ago, people came together to raise $10 million to save 63 acres near Jackie and Shadow’s nest from development. Land that was once destined for development will now remain wild. The connection people felt with Jackie and Shadow inspired action. It helped protect the habitat they depended on and preserve a piece of the wild for generations to come. Their story shows us what can happen when people fall in love with wildlife and decide the places those animals call home are worth fighting for. That is conservation. That is Jackie’s legacy.
Jackie was so much more than a famous eagle on a screen. She became a national ambassador for her species. She taught millions of people without ever entering a classroom. Her legacy will live on in the person who finds an injured bird and knows to reach out for help. She will live on in the person who stops to pick up discarded fishing line before it can entangle wildlife, or the fisherman who chooses to use only non lead fishing weights. She will live on in the hunter who chooses lead-free ammunition to protect eagles and other scavengers. And she will live on in the wonder in a child’s eyes as they watch an eagle soar overhead.
All because they knew Jackie and Shadow.
Thank you, Jackie. Thank you for letting us into your wild world. Thank you for teaching us. Thank you for making people care for our natural world. Your wings reached farther than you could ever have known.
May you fly forever free and watch over Shadow and your beloved nest site as their guardian spirit.”
‘J’: I can’t stop crying my eyes out. She was more than a bird on a screen.”
‘L notes about my query of the photo little Jackie in the nest with Ricky and Lucy’: “That picture was on YouTube, from Chanel 5, KTLA yesterday. An elderly man took it when Jackie’s parents was raising her. He said he had lived there for 20 years. Also, he said Luna and Sandy are still in the area.
If I did it correctly, here is the link.”
https://youtu.be/4cHVisPKRg8?is=cbjFtIPA9GC9NQwF
Wild Heart Ranch:
‘J’ sends unknown tribute: “I don’t know who wrote this, but it’s beautiful.
I’ve been trying to understand why losing Jackie has affected me so deeply. Why the death of a bald eagle I only knew through a camera can genuinely make my heart hurt. 
I think it’s because Jackie represented a mother’s love to me. She gave everything she had to her babies. She sat through snowstorms and freezing temperatures protecting them, endured failed nests and loss, and still came back and tried again. She fought for her babies with everything she had.
When you’ve lost your own mom, watching something that represents that kind of love disappear touches a place inside you that never completely goes away.
And thinking about Shadow makes it even harder. He’ll never know why Jackie didn’t come back. I know animals don’t understand death or grieve exactly the way we do, but Jackie and Shadow were bonded. They built a nest, protected each other, survived storms and raised their babies together. Now one of them is simply gone.
Maybe that’s why so many of us are hurting. We aren’t only grieving an eagle. Jackie’s loss reminds us of our own. Moms, dads, partners, siblings, friends, grandparents and beloved animals—we know what it feels like when someone who was always there suddenly isn’t.
But Jackie leaves an incredible legacy. Her offspring will continue on, and generations from now there may be bald eagles soaring over Big Bear carrying a little piece of Jackie with them. Shadow will eventually continue on too, because that is the way of nature, even when our hearts aren’t ready for it.
For years we watched Jackie through snow, wind, heartbreak and triumph. We worried about her, rooted for her and celebrated her babies. Somewhere along the way, she became more than an eagle on a camera. She became a symbol of motherhood, resilience, devotion and unconditional love.
So yes, I’m grieving a bald eagle today. Because sometimes grief is simply love looking for somewhere to go.
Fly high, beautiful Jackie. You fought hard, loved fiercely and gave everything you had to your babies.
Your wings may be gone from Big Bear, but your legacy will continue flying over it for generations.
You mattered, Jackie. More than you could ever have known.”
‘S”: “Marianne, it is with profound sadness that I tell you Jackie has passed. I’m sure your inbox is blowing up, but wanted to make sure you knew. RIP, Queen Jackie.”
Our hearts will heal but for now thank you to everyone who cared so much for Jackie – she wasn’t just a bird! She was so much more than that.
I am glad that Shadow is healing. The latest two videos about him and KD1. Perhaps he has found his new mate — or did she spot him first? https://youtu.be/-yUhTfLS3n0?si=gmYS-uV3bSs75wHD
Another one: https://youtu.be/2wZApsXwHck?
I am searching for a tribute or news from SK Hideaway’s who so dearly loved Jackie. Will keep my eyes open. In the meantime, thank you for all your comments. I have included some of them from various parts of the world. Take care. I will be back with you on Monday.
Thank you to all those who composed musical tributes or videos to Jackie, to each of you who loved Jackie and wrote from your heart, and to the two individuals who created videos about Shadow and KD1.
