The long view
Open the chapters
2011-2012: Ricky and Lucy make history First documented Big Bear Valley chick: Jackie. ▾
Ricky and Lucy produced the first recorded bald eagle chick in Big Bear Valley. The chick became Jackie, the future female at the center of the modern story.
2012-2013: No hatch A shallow nest bowl and cold weather likely worked against the eggs. ▾
Ricky and Lucy nested again, but the eggs did not hatch. Source notes point to freezing risk and limited early nest-bowl visibility.
2013-2014: Storm loss Two chicks were seen before a severe multi-day storm. ▾
Two chicks were observed, then a major February storm hit. Neither chick was seen afterward, making this one of the earliest hard losses in the timeline.
2014-2015: Another fledged chick One chick fledged and was also named Shadow in the early era. ▾
Ricky and Lucy raised another chick that fledged successfully. That earlier chick was named Shadow, but it is not the same bird as Jackie's later mate.
2015-2016: Camera era opens The nest cam was installed and the public story deepened. ▾
Friends of Big Bear Valley installed the camera in October 2015, creating the technical bridge between local nesting history and global public watching.
2017-2018: Jackie takes the nest, then Stormy arrives Jackie claims the nest, pairs with Mr. B, and raises her first famous chick. ▾
Jackie became the nesting female at the camera tree. She and Mr. B produced Stormy and BBB. BBB was lost, while Stormy fledged and became a fan favorite.
2018-2019: Jackie and Shadow raise Simba and Cookie Shadow becomes the accepted mate and the pair's own family line begins. ▾
Two chicks hatched. Cookie was lost in a storm, while Simba fledged successfully and was banded, extending the traceable family record.
2020 and 2021: Brutal seasons Failed hatches, broken eggs, ravens, and repeated setbacks. ▾
The 2020 eggs were non-viable. The 2021 season was especially rough, with multiple eggs across two clutches, raven pressure, and no chick that made it through.
2022: Spirit restores hope One chick hatched and fledged after the hard run of losses. ▾
Spirit hatched on March 3, 2022 and fledged on May 31, 2022, giving the pair and the watching community a long-needed successful season.
2023 and 2024: More eggs, no hatch The pair continued trying through difficult odds and severe weather. ▾
Two eggs in 2023 and three in 2024 failed to hatch. The 2024 season was especially remembered for relentless incubation through storm conditions and long public attention to the unbroken vigil.
2025: Sunny and Gizmo make the big breakthrough Three chicks hatched, Misty was lost, and two siblings fledged together. ▾
Sunny fledged on June 2, 2025 and Gizmo on June 7, 2025. It marked the first time Jackie and Shadow fledged two chicks in one season together.
2026: First clutch breached, replacement clutch begins January 23 and January 26 eggs lost on January 30, replacement clutch started February 24. ▾
The current live chapter began with loss, then pivoted into another attempt. That is why the 2026 watch experience matters so much: the pair kept going.