Shadow seen with new eagle at the Big Bear nest. Could a match be in the making?

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Set us as preferred Hours after celebrity bald eagle Jackie’s death was announced Monday, a new beaked face showed up in the Big Bear nest she shared with her mate, Shadow.The newcomer was KD1, a 4½-year-old eagle who has since become a repeat visitor to the aerie that’s livestreamed around the clock, earning its inhabitants worldwide internet fame.On Thursday afternoon, Shadow glided into the nest with KD1 not far behind, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley, a nonprofit that runs the livestream.“Is this a new bond forming between these 2?” the nonprofit wrote in a social media post.“Well, it could be and it may not be, only time will tell.” Breeding season begins later in the fall or winter.

Climate & Environment Jackie and her mate, Shadow, delighted millions of viewers as stars of a nonstop livestream of their nest, perched high in a Jeffrey pine overlooking Big Bear Lake.Observers were able to identify the younger eagle because it was banded around the leg by the Orange County Water District in April 2022 in the Prado Basin, some 70 miles from Big Bear.The basin includes wetlands where water is diverted from the Santa Ana River.

“KD1” is inscribed on the lavender band.Coincidentally, KD1’s parents had the same names as Jackie’s — Ricky and Lucy — but are not the same pair.

Experts suspect KD1 is female but aren’t certain.“At this time, seeing KD1 hang out near and next to Shadow, this bird looks like a big bird, which would lean female,” Jenna Carpenter, a wildlife biologist with the water district, said in a Facebook video.“Female raptors are most often larger than the males, but we are still not 100% sure.”If they’re right about KD1’s gender, the eagle could be mate material, added Carpenter, who was there when the eagle was banded.

KD1 is nearing the breeding age of fiv...