Jackie and Shadow / Big Bear Bald Eagle Live Cam

Overview

Jackie and Shadow or the Big Bear Bald Eagle Live Cam refer to a livestream of a bald eagle nest in Big Bear Valley, California belonging to two eagles named Jackie and Shadow. The stream, hosted by Friends of Big Bear Valley, has been running on YouTube since early 2018 and gained significant virality online, especially on TikTok, in February 2023 after roughly 45 inches of snow fell on Big Bear Valley, forcing the eagles to take turns warming their eggs and driving viewers to the stream.

History

As early as January 2018, the nonprofit organization Friends of Big Bear Valley began livestreaming an eagle nest in Big Bear Valley that is home to two bald eagles named Shadow and Jackie. The earliest available video of Jackie and Shadow was uploaded to the KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco YouTube^[1] channel on January 11th, 2018, and shows footage of one of the eagles sitting on his eggs after a snowstorm, garnering over 17,900 views in five years (shown below). The stream takes place on the FOBBV CAM YouTube^[2] channel.

2023 Egg Livestream

The stream became increasingly popularized in early 2023. On January 11th, 2023, the FOBBV channel uploaded a highlight from the stream about Jackie and Shadow having a new egg, garnering over 58,000 views in a month (shown below). On January 14th, a second egg was then laid.^[4]

On February 22nd, 2023, the channel uploaded a stream highlight showing snow falling on the nest (shown below, left). On February 25th, they uploaded a video showing the nest and birds covered in snow (shown below, right). That day, ABC 7^[3] reported on the stream and how the eagles took turns keeping their two eggs warm.

Online Presence

Jackie and Shadow became increasingly prominent on social media throughout early 2023, particularly after the massive snowfall on their nest. On February 24th, 2023, Twitter^[6] user and Barstool Sports writer @katebarstool posted about the stream, garnering over 600 likes in three days (shown below).

The stream also became notably popularized on TikTok that month as users took clips from the stream and shared them on the platform. For example, on February 26th, TikToker^[5] @lundytraci posted a video of the eagles switching egg-sitting shifts, garnering over 3.2 million views in a day (shown below).

Search Interest

External References