Does Big Bear bald eagle Shadow have a new female friend?

Israel J. Carreón Jr., The Orange County Register on Aug 14, 2026

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LOS ANGELES — It may be too soon to tell, but Big Bear bald eagle Shadow — the former mate of the recently deceased Jackie — may have a new partner.

Friends of Big Bear Valley, the group that runs the 24/7 livestream of the eagles, reported Thursday via social media that Shadow has been seen in the nest with a young adult eagle believed to be female.

And the raptor first visited Jackie and Shadow’s nest Monday, Aug. 10 — just hours after Jackie’s death.

Shadow and the other eagle, named KD1 by the Orange County Water District, were seen together on the web camera Thursday afternoon, the Friends post said.

“It is great to see Shadow up close and doing well. Is this a new bond forming between these two? Well, it could be, and it may not be; only time will tell,” a Friends Thursday post read on its Facebook page. “We can only observe and see what takes place once breeding season is upon us, which will not be until later this fall/winter season.”

KD1 hatched in 2022 in the Prado Basin along the Santa Ana River in Riverside County, according to a Wednesday, Aug. 12, informational video with background on the young raptor. The water district placed a band, an identification tag used for scientific study, on the bald eagle in April 2022. Jenna Carpenter, a district wildlife biologist and raptor expert, said in the video that KD1 is likely a female, based on her size.

The water district also participates in environmental stewardship and has biologists who monitor nesting activity and bird populations throughout the breeding season in Orange County Groundwater Basin and groundwater recharge facilities along the Santa Ana River.

KD1 has likely ventured farther than Big Bear during the first years of her life, but most raptors tend to stay within 50 to 100 miles of their birth territory, Carpenter said. The Big Bear Lake nest, where Shadow resides, is about 70 miles from the Prado Basin, according to Carpenter.

KD1, who is between 2 and 4 years old, has begun perching near Shadow in several of Shadow’s favorite trees.

Friends of Big Bear Valley spokesperson Jenny Voisard said in a Friday afternoon, Aug. 14, text message that KD1 is not one of the two eagles that several weeks ago fought Jackie, leaving her unable to fly and leading to her rescue and treatment at an Ojai center before her death.

The underlying causes for Jackie’s death are still unknown. Veterinary pathologists at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance will perform a necropsy.

The 14-year-old Jackie, along with Shadow, attained worldwide celebrity status thanks to the Friends of Big Bear Valley’s livestream. However, the mama bird was recently treated for weeks at the Ojai Raptor Center in Ventura County after a fight with other eagles left Jackie grounded for hours in mid-July. The center’s medical team suspects Jackie may have been sick before the fight.

A day after Jackie’s death, the state’s wildlife agency announced that the bird’s remains will eventually be transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Eagle Repository in Colorado. The federal facility evaluates, stores and distributes eagle remains, parts and feathers to enrolled members of federally recognized Native American tribes, which have traditionally used them in religious and cultural ceremonies and in traditional regalia. However, some fans on social media have voiced concerns about following this federal law and advocate for Jackie’s remains to return to the Big Bear area.

It is unclear whether a celebration of life for Jackie is in the works.

The Friends group in its Thursday post wrote: “Though talks have begun with other local organizations and agencies, we do not have plans to share regarding a gathering for Jackie at this time. If and when we have information, it will be posted here.”

It is still too early to tell whether Shadow and KD1 will form a bond.

Carpenter confirmed similar statements regarding the possible mating of Shadow and KD1 that were made in the Friends’ Thursday post.

“KD1 is almost 5 years old, which is breeding age for eagles, where they can actually start laying eggs,” Carpenter said in the video.

“Right now, it’s not breeding season. The eagles are taking a break, and we’ll likely be thinking about that and mating much closer to December or January,” she said.

That fact still hasn’t stopped the internet from sharing its thoughts on KD1’s appearance.

“Good to hear he (Shadow) has someone,” Kara Van Kirk wrote on the Friends’ Thursday Facebook post. “I think in some anthropomorphic way, KD1’s timing in visiting the nest on the 10th was a rather kismet honor to Jackie,” she said.

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