I was not shy about how remolting I found it when we learned that Shadow, the American bald eagle of Bear Bear Lake, California, had already taken up with a new companion. The news came to us only a couple weeks after we learned of the tragic death of Jackie, Shadow’s partner of a decade. Turns out it was worse: Shadow brought the eaglet interloper back to the nest he’d previously shared with Jackie (their forever nest!!) mere days after her passing! He let this new woman move twigs around Jackie’s nest, and Shadow and his young sidepiece (because yes of course this eagle is 10 years younger than Jackie, typical) were seen CHORTLING together. Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit who run the livestream that first made us fall in love with Jackie and Shadow’s emotional flights into parenthood, seemed so sure that this new eagle was destined to be Shadow’s next Queen Consort, they broke protocol and gave her a name prematurely: Kaydee. Well, it seems everyone was counting their chickens before they hatched, cause experts observing Shadow believe he’s annoyed with Kaydee’s antics. Who’s CHORTLING now, Kaydee??!!

While FOBBV expressed its hopes that Shadow has found a potential new companion, new observations suggest that he may just not be all that into her.

FOBBV posted new video of Shadow at Big Bear Lake on Wednesday, noting that he was seen gliding beautifully into the nest he had shared with Jackie, taking a moment to check it out before heading to the front porch.

“He perched in the breeze, preening and seemed to enjoy over an hour of quiet time,” FOBBV said, noting the incredible view of his interlocking feathers, adding he appears to be molting and growing some new white head feathers.

Soon after he left the nest, the female banded bald eagle recently named Kaydee, previously known as KD-1, landed in the “basement” below the nest for a short time before heading over to the roost tree, where both eagles preened and settled in for the night.

Many have suggested that Shadow could be moving on too quickly after the death of Jackie on August 10. FOBBV even said that it appeared Shadow had a new shadow.

However, FOBBV observed on Wednesday that this might not be the case.

“We cannot know what Shadow is thinking or feeling,” they said. “Over the last week we did observe Shadow getting a bit testy with Kaydee. It is possible that Shadow is just not ready for Kaydee’s flirty eagle advances or maybe not interested in Kaydee at all.”

…Nesting behavior at Big Bear starts gradually in October or November and ramps up in December, FOBBV said.

“With the loss of Jackie, we are not sure what to expect,” they added. “We will have to be patient, observe and see what the future holds for Shadow.”

According to the Orange County Water District, Kaydee hatched nearly 100 miles away, in the Prado Basin along the Santa Ana River, in March of 2022. That would make the eagle about 4 ½ years old.

[From KTLA]

Look, it’s not that I want Shadow to be alone, lonely, and be-feathered with grief. The issue is a matter of respect for Jackie. As I’ve said before, Jackie was a one in a million eagle. We all bore witness to the soaring highs they flew together when they saw their chicks to successful fledging, as well as the bald, unflinching lows of a snowstorm whipping wind through the nest. Or even the bleak, mystifying occasions when Jackie and Shadow did everything right, sharing egg sitting duties together with devotion, yet the pips never hatched. The loss of a love like that deserves time to process. At the very least, Shadow, give it until October or November when nesting season starts, not the very same month of your beloved’s passing! As for Kaydee, I think her goose is cooked. Girl thought she could swan in and take advantage of a bereaved baldy. Instead all she’s done is ruffle the feathers of Jackie fans the world over. But she is young and will hopefully learn from this scandalous experience. There are other birds in the breeze, dear; I’m sure you’ll land on your talons, if not another beaux.