Ravens damage both Big Bear bald eagle eggs
Just days after Big Bear bald eagles Jackie and Shadow had their second egg of 2026, both eggs appear to be cracked and ruined.
A little before noon on Friday, Jan. 30, the two eagles, whose annual nesting has been livestreamed since 2015, took a break from their nest.
“Jackie and Shadow left the nest area for quite some time this afternoon, which was a little uncharacteristic of them,” said Jennifer Voisard, media and website manager for the environmental nonprofit group Friends of Big Bear Valley, which operates the camera. “We didn’t hear their vocalizations or anything.”
Not even when a raven landed nearby and then eventually moved into the nest with the eggs.
The livesteam attracts thousands of viewers each day. And on Friday, fans of the bald eagle pair watched live what came next.
“One of the ravens was pecking at an egg and broke the shell,” viewer Christine Bartos Werlein posted on Facebook. “I hope Jackie and Shadow are ok!”
Something didn’t look quite right to the Friends of Big Bear Valley. When they zoomed in the camera, everyone’s worst fears were confirmed.
“When we zoomed in, we saw a crack in it,” Voisard said. “We believe they have breached the other egg as well.”
One or both eggs may have been cracked before the ravens arrived, she said, which would explain why the parents felt comfortable leaving the eggs for more than an hour.
It’s still possible that Jackie could lay more eggs this season.
“She’s done it before,” Voisard said. “But it only happens if it’s early enough and her hormones can reset.”
Jackie and Shadow have chicks that are able to leave their nest on their own, known as “fledglings,” a little less than half the time.
In recent years, Jackie and Shadow’s chicks have struck out on their own in 2019, 2022 and 2025.
Voisard and the other volunteers know better than most that nature is unsentimental and that eggs get devoured by predators or chicks might not make it to adulthood. But that doesn’t make it not hurt.
“You feel the emotions, you’re sad for them, you’re sad for yourself, you’re sad for all the people who are connected to them, but at the same time, you’re hopeful that life keeps going and finds a way,” Voisard said. “Jackie and Shadow, no matter what happens, they keep moving forward and find a way.
“We’re sad, but we’re optimistic and happy we can see whatever we get to see, because Jackie and Shadow are so special.”
More about the Big Bear bald eagles
- Viewers flock to web cam livestreaming Big Bear bald eagle’s nest to the world
- 1 of the newly hatched Big Bear eaglets has died, nonprofit says
- Big Bear bald eaglet Gizmo flies — days after sister Sunny’s first flight
- 2026 nesting season underway for Big Bear’s famed bald eagles
- Big Bear bald eagles Jackie and Shadow welcome first egg of 2026
- Big Bear bald eagle couple welcomes second egg in three days