What to Know
- Outdoor Adventure Days at the Discovery Center in Fawnskin
- Aug. 20 and 21, 2022; hikes, boat rides, and nest viewing are on the schedule
- Free, but advance registration is required
Little birds, as a rule, become bigger birds, and bigger birds, quite usually, spread their wings, meaning that a first flight, and bidding the nest farewell, are imminent and exciting acts.
That's just what fans of Jackie and Shadow witnessed earlier this year, as their fluffy tyke, named "Spirit" after local kids selected one of the potential names submitted via a contest, got larger, and bolder, and finally departed the family's high-in-the-sky home.
The celebrated tree camera has attracted fans from across Southern California and around the world, but actually visiting Big Bear Lake and admiring the lake-close nest in person, from a good distance away, is a pleasurable pursuit that few eagle aficionados have enjoyed.
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That will change on Aug. 20 and 21 when Outdoor Adventure Days spread its wings and alights at the Discovery Center in Fawnskin.
The weekend-long festival isn't solely about Jackie, Shadow, and Spirit, but you can bet that a number of visitors will want to take a look, from afar, at the much-admired nest.
It's a nest that is currently empty, since Spirit fledged and Jackie and Shadow have been hither and yon (the adult eagles do return now and then, to carefully place another stick or check out how their home turf is doing, but that is a rarer occurrence in the warm days of summer).
Other happenings during the nature-oriented weekend include special hikes, naturalist-led moments, and a guided bird walk. There are also opportunities to head out onto the sparkling lake in a paddlewheel boat or kayak.
You're invited to show with a bicycle, or rent some wheels, if you'd like to join a spectacular spin through the beautiful forests of the alpine-like area.
Attending this fresh-air'd festivity? It's free, but you'll need to register in advance.
Before we know it, fall will return, and with it, fingers and wings and talons crossed? The annual stick show of Jackie and Shadow, a fascinating process that involves the famous birds prepping their nest for winter, and the possible arrival of the always-obsessed-over eggs.
But while summer is here, we can bask in the beauty of Big Bear Lake, and its nearby recreation-strong, nature-nice gifts, over one uplifting August weekend.
We'll never soar in the way that Jackie and Shadow love to do, but our own spirit can soar while connecting with this woodsy wonderland of animals, trees, water, and light.
