The Brief

Jackie and Shadow’s family saga has been playing out in hearts and homes across the country on a popular livestream as the bald eagle couple slowly but surely leave their three eggs unattended.

It’s been weeks without so much as a pip — the term from when an eaglet starts emerging — in their nest in Big Bear Valley, and the clutch is certainly not viable at this point.

The hope and heartbreak has sparked emotional reactions from fans, with mothers coming to Jackie’s defense, others complimenting Shadow’s dedication, and many with a lot of thoughts about their love story.

So what is it about these wild animals that’s bringing up such strong feelings?

How fans are feeling

A Facebook comment from Angie Wilson on LAist's past coverage of Jackie and Shadow.

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Screenshot of LAist Facebook

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Angie Wilson, a 41-year-old Navy veteran who lives in Florida, told LAist she found the Friends of Big Bear Valley Facebook page a few months back, shortly after Jackie and Shadow had their clutch.

Wilson said she almost immediately became interested in the couple and how so many people seemed to be invested in the eagles.

She said she was anxiously watching for eaglets along with thousands of other fans, and she became emotional when it didn’t work out the way they had hoped.

“It's sad to watch, you know, when you're expecting to see greatness of babies come about, but they don't come about because of whatever reason,” Wilson said. “I mean, it's made me cry a few times. More than a few times.”

A Facebook comment from Melanie Stagnaro on LAist's past coverage of Jackie and Shadow.

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Melanie Stagnaro, a professor at California State University, Los Angeles who lives in Laurel Canyon, told LAist she learned about the livestream last year, but she got really invested this past January.

Now, Stagnaro said the first thing she does when she wakes up or as she’s having tea before bed is scroll back through YouTube and see what Jackie and Shadow have been up to.

“They're just so beautiful, and I feel like, I don't know, something in their faces and their eyes, I'm like, ‘Oh mama, I feel for you,’” she said.

Stagnaro said she’s almost an empty nester herself, and seeing the couple leave their eggs alone has been “bringing up some things for me.”

The Stagnaro’s refer to their family as a team, she said, and she sees Jackie and Shadow in the same light.

“When I turn it on and I see them there, it just touches my soul,” Stagnaro said.

She’s been inspired to find ways to observe animals in their natural habitat without disturbing them, even asking her father if he’d consider setting up cameras for the dozen bald eagles living on his property in the greater Seattle area.

What experts say

David Hindman, the immediate past president of the California Psychological Association who’s been following Jackie and Shadow for several years, told LAist the livestream is like reality TV meets Animal Kingdom, and it's giving people unique access to the daily lives of these otherwise elusive creatures.

Hindman referred to the concept of anthropomorphism, or when human characteristics are attributed to animals or inanimate objects, which he said can be positive and difficult.

“Maybe one of the reasons that people are having such a reaction is that they are able to recognize or access feelings that they themselves would have otherwise had in a similar situation,” he said. “They can see themselves through the experience of animals.”

Plus, when Jackie and Shadow are interacting with each other and fighting over that last bit of fish, people can see parallels in their own relationships.

Gail Melson, professor emerita in the department of human development and family studies at Purdue University, told LAist that the longer people watch the couple, the more they see things they can relate to in their own lives.

And when we’re identifying with something an animal is experiencing, she said we don’t put up the same kind of defense mechanisms as if we’re dealing with ourselves or other humans. Topics that might seem upsetting or difficult when thinking in those terms could be easier to talk about when you’re one step removed and identifying with an animal instead.

Melson related it to Lion King. While it might be hard for a child (or adult) to confront the idea of the death of a parent, they can watch what happens to Mufasa and see themselves in Simba as he navigates those feelings. 

“It's just one kind of explanation for why we're drawn to these stories in animal form where it might be difficult for us if we simply had, you know, humans who were a little too close for comfort, a little too much like maybe our own parents or, you know, our own family,” Melson said.

She noted that technology is also changing the way we respond.

“Think of what our feelings might have been before the webcam was possible, and we couldn't get close up to the nest, and we couldn't really see what was going on,” Melson said.

Keeping a distance

However, Hindman said it’s important to remember that there is a separation, and what we imagine the eagles are going through might not actually be the case. Hindman said while he’s glad people are having conversations about Jackie and Shadow, we need to respect the difference between animal nature versus human emotions.

“For those that are relatively newer to this particular saga, I think it's important to kind of be able to remember that there's some history with it as well,” he said. “Jackie and Shadow have been here before.”

Even though it can be tough to tune in at times, Wilson and Stagnaro said they’ve learned a lot from the famous feathered couple.

“They just do it and they just sit on those eggs,” Stagnaro said. “For me as a parent, but just even as a woman, it's like, just do it, you know, just go out there and persevere.”

Wilson said we may not understand exactly what Jackie and Shadow have been going through, but they haven’t given up on each other, and she finds that “amazing.”

She’s even started watching other bald eagle cameras, including ones in Hanover, Pennsylvania and Redding, California, but she said she’s never going to stop keeping up with her beloved nest in Big Bear.

“We're trying to move on like Jackie and Shadow are trying to move on,” she said. “It's just not easy.”

Los Angeles officials expect construction of a fence around MacArthur Park will start in November and continue through fall 2027. 

At a community meeting Thursday night at MacArthur Park Elementary School, officials said fence installation is now expected to continue through fall 2027, overshooting the previously announced spring 2027 completion date.

Thursday’s meeting highlighted the divide over the city’s plan to fence off MacArthur Park, with tensions rising during public comment. The Los Angeles Police Department says the fence will make drug enforcement easier, while some in the community who volunteer around the park questioned whether it will improve safety enough to justify the cost.

The city has allocated $2.3 million for the project, but officials have not said whether that will cover the full cost.

Installation of the green metal fence around the park’s perimeter is expected to begin in November and take about a year. A second phase, adding decorative elements to the fence, is planned for fall and winter 2027. Officials said the schedule could change because of weather or other unforeseen circumstances.

The park is expected to remain open during construction.

Capt. Ben Fernandes with the LAPD’s Rampart Division said the fence would create a barrier along Alvarado Street and other areas where officers have seen people using narcotics. That would allow police to focus more of their enforcement efforts inside the park, he said.

“So if people are going deeper into the park to use, that’ll make it easier for us to go in and do enforcement on them and arrest them for that use,” Fernandes said. 

MacArthur Park will close every night once an 8-foot-tall fence goes up around the green space, with Los Angeles police officers sweeping the park for encampments and people sleeping there before the gates shut. The Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners approved the plan Thursday.

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LA Recreation and Parks

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“I’ve been an officer for 29 years, and I’ve always known I can go buy drugs there, and I did as a narcotics officer. So what I’m saying is, we are trying to make it not convenient,” he added. 

Fernandes also said the city plans to enhance the park’s existing camera network. LAPD officers and Los Angeles Park Rangers will be able to monitor the cameras from their respective stations, he said. City officials are still evaluating whether additional cameras will be needed to address blind spots in the park after construction is complete.

Ariana Walker, who visits MacArthur Park every Saturday with a group of friends who pool their own resources to distribute food and hygiene kits, questioned whether the city had shown that the fence would improve safety and how much it would cost to maintain.

“The fence is a $2.3 million fence at the base level,” she said. “And they haven’t given us any indication of how much more it’s going to cost for upkeep, to keep anybody safe. There’s no conclusive evidence that a fence is going to stop crime the way that they’re suggesting.”

The meeting grew tense when John Alle, a local property owner whose family owns the building that houses Langer’s Delicatessen across the street from the park, objected to having his comments read from a written comment card rather than speaking directly to officials. Alle has been a vocal critic of the city’s response to drug activity and public safety concerns around MacArthur Park.

He was allowed to comment during the meeting and said the city needs to take a tougher approach to drug use and sales around the park. 

“We see knife attacks at all hours of the day. It’s out of control. And it’s not gotten any better,” he said. “We want to bring it back to where it was 15 or 20 years ago.”

Los Angeles officials expect construction of a fence around MacArthur Park will start in November and continue through fall 2027.

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Gary Coronado

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The LA Local

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Alle pointed to public events at the park, including an upcoming Día de los Muertos celebration and a Labor Day weekend picnic hosted by Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman as positive developments for the space. But he added those events do not reflect conditions throughout the park.

Officials also outlined other planned improvements, including restoring access through the tunnels connecting the park’s north and south sides, making accessibility upgrades and providing free Wi-Fi for parkgoers. 

Residents who want to provide input on the fence’s decorative elements can email admin@themorcosgroup.com or call 310-479-4727 for more information.

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