Angelenos have been making the drive to Big Bear for more than a century, chasing cooler air in summer and snow in winter. As early as 1912, day-trippers and film crews in Model-Ts wound up the mountain roads, using Big Bear’s forests as both a quick escape and a Hollywood back lot.

Egg Watch, the annual anticipation-filled observation that involves eagle enthusiasts charmingly obsessing over the arrival of any potential eggs, generally begins in late January, which is when Jackie has begun to lay her clutch in past years.

Jackie and Shadow, the much-adored Big Bear-based bald eagle couple whose nest is watched by countless observers across the world, welcomed their first egg of 2026 on Friday! Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV),