# Shadow the bald eagle has a new companion

> Weeks after Jackie died, a young banded eagle named Kaydee flew into the Big Bear nest and started rearranging sticks.
- Title: Shadow the bald eagle has a new companion · Birds and Blooms
- Summary: Weeks after Jackie died, a young banded eagle named Kaydee flew into the Big Bear nest and started rearranging sticks. Shadow and Kaydee are showing real…
- Keywords: bald eagles, big bear valley, nest cams, wildlife, jackie and shadow, Shadow, bald, eagle, companion, Birds and Blooms
- Source: Birds and Blooms — https://birdsandblooms.com/birding/birding-basics/kaydee-shadow-bald-eagles
- Author: Emily Hannemann
- Published: 2026-08-26T14:30:38+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: bald eagles, big bear valley, nest cams, wildlife, jackie and shadow
## The nest cam lost Jackie
Jackie, the female half of Big Bear Valley's most watched eagle pair, died this year of a medical condition rehabbers could not treat. Millions of viewers had followed her.

> Tragedy struck the beloved pair of bald eagles on the Big Bear Valley nesting cameras this year
## Nature moves on
Shadow likely felt the loss in his own way. But eagles do not grieve on a human schedule, and a new bird has since turned up in his territory.

> the way of nature is also to move on
## Meet KD1, or Kaydee
She is a banded bald eagle born in Southern California. Her name comes straight off the band around her leg, made official by Friends of Big Bear Valley.
## She arrived days after
Kaydee showed up in the habitat around August 6 and first approached Shadow on August 10, a few hours after Jackie passed. She had nothing to do with Jackie's death.
## Young, and still browning
Kaydee is about 4 and a half; Shadow is around 12. Look closely and you can spot brown juvenile feathers on her head. Officials have not confirmed she is female, though her size and behavior suggest it.

> birds have no concept of "age-gap" romances
## Sticks and chortling
The two have been spending time in the nest together, rearranging sticks and calling back and forth. A biologist who helped band her sees classic pair-bonding behavior.
## Late fall tells the story
Bald eagle nesting season starts in late fall or early winter. That is when viewers will know whether "Shaydee" is real or just a friendship.

> as is the case with any headline-worthy romance, we'll have to wait and see
## Key takeaway

Shadow and Kaydee are showing real bonding behavior, but nesting season in late fall is when we will actually know.