Fans gather in Big Bear to say goodbye to Jackie the eagle. How to join from afar

📺 LAist 🕐 October 3, 2026 at 3:52 PM

A memorial for an eagle named Jackie features flowers, flags, photos, pinecones and a sign reading "Queen Jackie 2012-2026." — A memorial for Jackie at Fawnskin Freedom Park is overflowing with flowers, tributes and notes for the late eagle on Friday, Oct 2.(Makenna Cramer / LAist)

The Big Bear community and fans of the famous bald eagles that call the valley home are coming together this weekend to honor Jackie.

Jackie, who with her partner Shadow won hearts around the world on a popular YouTube livestream, died in August after weeks of intensive care.

A group of local, state and federal officials and organizations, including the nonprofit behind the livestream, Friends of Big Bear Valley, helped organize the “Wings Over Big Bear” weekend with a commemoration ceremony Saturday and Wildlife Education Day Sunday.

Diane Lech came up from Carlsbad and stopped by to see the overflowing Jackie memorial at Fawnskin Freedom Park. She’s been watching the livestream since 2015, when the cameras were first installed.

“And [Jackie’s] been part of my life ever since,” Lech said, her eyes welling up with tears. “It’s heartwarming to know that she had such an effect on so many people.”

A community comes together

Vanessa Bloom, a Huntington Beach resident, and her mom are regular viewers of the eagle livestream. Bloom said the ceremony feels like a coming-together at a time when there’s so much polarization and division in the world.

“Everyone’s here for a common cause,” Bloom said. “There’s a lot of unity and people just being with each other in a time of tragedy, which you don’t really see that often, and I think that’s special.”

Maggie Keen, a Thousand Oaks resident, took her first trip to Big Bear in years to attend the ceremony.

“[Jackie] was just amazing,” Keen said. “Very strong, took charge of everything and was just like an incredible bird to watch her with the fledglings.”

Ron Wood, better known as Woody, works at Captain John’s Fawn Harbor & Marina by Dana Point Park in Fawnskin, where he points out the nest to fans daily.

“We all thought that she was going to come around and be brought back here, and, you know, it’s pretty depressing,” Wood said. “Every single person still that comes is teary-eyed.”

A bearded man in a green 'Jameson' bucket hat holds a framed photo of an eagle on a nest atop a tree. — Ron Wood holds up a framed photo of what he said is a young Jackie, along with her parents Ricky and Lucy. He usually has the popular YouTube livestream of the eagle nest playing in the background. (Makenna Cramer / LAist)

Jenny Voisard, media manager for Friends of Big Bear Valley, told LAist ahead of the ceremony that the turnout shows just how the love people have for Jackie.

“A lot of people were surprised at how much they were grieving,” Voisard said. “We all still miss Jackie.”

🔗 View Original Source

Check this story

Search fact-checks Snopes PolitiFact FactCheck.org Rate this source AllSides ratings Wikipedia's source list See earlier versions

Ask the guide

The guide explains what to check and where. It cannot see this article or recent news.

Is this AI-made?

Content Credentials

Fans gather in Big Bear to say goodbye to Jackie the eagle. How to join from afar.

A memorial for Jackie at Fawnskin Freedom Park is overflowing with flowers, tributes and notes for the late eagle on Friday, Oct 2.(Makenna Cramer / LAist)The Big Bear community and fans of the famous bald eagles that call the valley home are coming together this weekend to honor Jackie.Jackie, who with her partner Shadow won hearts around the world on a popular YouTube livestream, died in August after weeks of intensive care.A group of local, state and federal officials and organizations, including the nonprofit behind the livestream, Friends of Big Bear Valley, helped organize the “Wings Over Big Bear” weekend with a commemoration ceremony Saturday and Wildlife Education Day Sunday.Diane Lech came up from Carlsbad and stopped by to see the overflowing Jackie memorial at Fawnskin Freedom Park. She’s been watching the livestream since 2015, when the cameras were first installed.“And [Jackie’s] been part of my life ever since,” Lech said, her eyes welling up with tears. “It’s heartwarming to know that she had such an effect on so many people.”A community comes togetherVanessa Bloom, a Huntington Beach resident, and her mom are regular viewers of the eagle livestream. Bloom said the ceremony feels like a coming-together at a time when there’s so much polarization and division in the world.“Everyone's here for a common cause,” Bloom said. “There's a lot of unity and people just being with each other in a time of tragedy, which you don't really see that often, and I think that's special.”Maggie Keen, a Thousand Oaks resident, took her first trip to Big Bear in years to attend the ceremony.“[Jackie] was just amazing,” Keen said. “Very strong, took charge of everything and was just like an incredible bird to watch her with the fledglings.”Ron Wood, better known as Woody, works at Captain John's Fawn Harbor &amp; Marina by Dana Point Park in Fawnskin, where he points out the nest to fans daily. “We all thought that she was going to come around and be brought back here, and, you know, it's pretty depressing,” Wood said. “Every single person still that comes is teary-eyed.” Ron Wood holds up a framed photo of what he said is a young Jackie, along with her parents Ricky and Lucy. He usually has the popular YouTube livestream of the eagle nest playing in the background. (Makenna Cramer / LAist)Jenny Voisard, media manager for Friends of Big Bear Valley, told LAist ahead of the ceremony that the turnout shows just how the love people have for Jackie. “A lot of people were surprised at how much they were grieving,” Voisard said. “We all still miss Jackie.”

AI checkers give a likelihood, not proof.

← Back to News