Jackie’s numbers aren’t looking good.
The internet’s favorite bald eagle mom has anemia, and it’s getting worse. Her caretakers at the Ojai Raptor Centre just confirmed her packed cell volume (PCV)—basically the ratio of red blood cells to total blood volume—has plummeted to 13 percent. That’s a significant drop in the last 48 hours.
Normal PCV levels for healthy bald eagles sit between 25 and 30 percent.
She’s barely half of that.
What’s Wrong with Jackie?
The veterinary team is moving fast. They’ve ordered expedited lab testing and are running advanced diagnostics to pinpoint exactly why her blood count is crashing. Is it an infection? A toxin? Old injuries from the altercation that brought her in? They don’t know yet.
“We are working to better understand her condition,” the Centre wrote, urging patience.
Jackie was found on the ground near Dana Point Beach on July 17. Cell phone videos went viral showing two younger, subadult eagles pecking at her. She fought back—rolling over, using her talons like a boxer—to drive them off. She wasn’t hurt badly enough to stay on the ground, but she couldn’t fly away. Weak. Exhausted.
Now, she’s fighting for her life.
Life Back at the Big Bear Nest
While Jackie battles for survival, the drama in Big Bear Valley has quieted down.
Jackie’s mate, Shadow, has been holding down the fort alone. But even he can’t stay forever. The chicks, Sandy and Luna, are likely already on their own.
The pair hatched on consecutive nights in April:
* Chick 1 (Sandy): April 4
* Chick 2 (Luna): April 5
By August 1, the Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV)—the nonprofit managing the live cams—indicated both chicks had fledged. They left the nest around 10 to 14 weeks old, which is standard for eaglets.
Males tend to leave slightly earlier than females, but both have likely taken to the skies.
Why Is This Season So Hard for Them?
Jackie and Shadow have had a brutal nesting history.
They paired up in 2018. Success came in 2019 and again in 2022. Then, failure. Two consecutive seasons where eggs didn’t hatch. In 2023 and 22024, ravens destroyed their clutches. Raven predation is a leading cause of eagle nest failures in this area.
Last year, they got three chicks. A March snowstorm—one foot deep—killed one of them. The survivors were named Sunny and Gizmo after a fan contest.
This year, after losing their first two eggs to ravens earlier this year, they tried again. Two new eggs. Both hatched.
It’s a statistical miracle. Only 50 percent of bald eagle eggs hatch naturally.
Can They Survive the First Year?
Even if Jackie recovers, Shadow is raising them alone. That’s tough. Eagles need two parents to hunt and defend the nest for the first few weeks.
But these chicks are out there now. The fledgling stage is the deadliest period for young bald eagles.
- Predators: Hawks, ravens, and owls see hungry fledglings as easy snacks.
- Weather: Sudden storms can blow them into power lines or drown them in lakes.
- Humans: Cars are a massive killer. Fledglings often scavenge roadkill, making them vulnerable to traffic.
Only 70 percent of bald eaglets survive this first year.
Those that do? They go far. Southern California fledglings have been spotted in British Columbia, down to Baja California, and as far east as Yellowstone.
But no one knows for sure where Sandy or Luna went. FOBBV doesn’t tag their birds.
How to Help
If you’re worried about Jackie, donate to the Ojai Raptor Centre’s Bald Eagle Recovery Campaign.
If you’re thinking about the big picture, FOBBV recently hit a major milestone. They raised $10 million to buy land around Big Bear Lake. The bulk of it—$5.5 million—came from Greg Brockman (co-founder of OpenAI) and his wife, Anna.
The rest came from 25,000 small donors.
The land is now protected from development. That means safer hunting grounds for eagles. No condos. No noise. Just forest.
It’s a win for conservation. A small one.
Jackie is still down. PCV at 13%. It’s a long road back to the sky.
Will she make it?
