RIP Jackie

Jackie, the bald eagle who became famous thanks to the Friends of Big Bear Valley Eagle Nest Cam, died this morning at the Ojai Raptor Center. 

 

Along with her mate Shadow, Jackie raised several batches of eaglets on camera over a period of several years. Her two most recent eaglets, Sandy and Luna, fledged about the same time Jackie was rescued after being attacked by two other eagles. She may have also been ill before the attack - her official cause of death was anemia. Video of the attack and its aftermath, where Jackie appeared to have been unable to get off the ground, can be seen in this article. My guess is that they'll autopsy her and find out more about what happened to her.

 

As much as I (along with many others) hoped for a full recovery that would see Jackie return to Shadow and their nest, given the updates I had come to expect the worst. This seemed like it  just wasn't one of those times we were going to get a happy ending. But the rescue meant she at least got a chance and didn't have to suffer through deterioration in the wild. 

 

Jackie will be sorely missed. Reaction to her death is dominating my Facebook feed right now. So many people were just crushed by this news.

 

In the meantime, I'm hoping for the best for Shadow. Not sure how he interprets Jackie's absence. It will be interesting to see what next breeding season brings to the massive nest in Big Bear. 

 

Rest in peace, Jackie, and a big thank you to the Ojai Raptor Center, where everyone worked so hard to save her. "Our team is heartbroken. It has been an extraordinary privilege to care for her."