Imperfect Paradise: Big Bear Valley’s ‘royal couple’ Jackie and Shadow & their emotional journey to parenthood
California City
LAist Studios
4.5 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 10 April 2026
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The famed Big Bear bald eagle couple Jackie and Shadow have become a global internet sensation. Tens of thousands of fans tune in to watch every season as the couple expands their family. LAist Reporter and resident Jackie & Shadow expert Makenna Cramer discusses the recent mating season and the latest in the couple’s parenting saga.
For more on the worldwide fascination and obsession with the eagle couple, listen to our 2024 episode with Makenna and former Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido.
Read Makenna’s full report at LAist.com.
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Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Voting can be complicated. LAS is here to help. Check out LAS Voter Game Plan, the fact-based voter guide that will give you the tools you need to navigate your ballot. |
| 0:10.4 | Visit voter game plan at LAS.com slash vote. |
| 0:15.7 | The stories you need in less than five minutes. Catch the LA report with me, Austin Cross, in the mornings. |
| 0:22.4 | Nereida Moreno for the afternoon edition. |
| 0:24.8 | And me, Julia Paskin in the evening, the LA report wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:30.4 | Welcome to Imperfect Paradise. |
| 0:32.3 | I'm your host Nereida Moreno. |
| 0:36.3 | There's a winter and springtime ritual here in Southern California that generates hope and |
| 0:41.2 | excitement every year. |
| 0:46.2 | What you're hearing is bald eagles Jackie and shadow in their nest high above Big Bear, |
| 0:51.2 | a ski town a couple of hours northeast of Los Angeles. |
| 0:54.9 | The couple have been expanding their family for years, and they've become a global viral internet sensation. |
| 1:01.9 | Jackie and Shadow are the royal couple of Big Bear Valley, so they are the subject of a very popular YouTube live stream. |
| 1:11.4 | Their nest sits near the top of a massive pine tree and overlooks Big Bear Lake. |
| 1:16.0 | The nonprofit friends of Big Bear Valley installed Jackie and Shadow's live cam in 2015, |
| 1:21.4 | and it has grown to more than a million followers on Facebook. |
| 1:27.7 | People tune in daily to watch Jackie and Shadow's journey to become parents like they were |
| 1:32.3 | watching reality TV or a soap opera. |
| 1:35.5 | When I saw Jackie and Shadow, I just fell in love with them. |
| 1:38.5 | They are just the best, the cutest personality, and I can't get enough of them. |
| 1:43.1 | There's just so many cute moments and you just |
| 1:45.4 | cry and laugh. I don't know, something in their faces and their eyes. Like I just, I'm like, |
... |
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