Unknown bald eagle spotted on Shadow’s nest

The bald eagle nest in Big Bear Valley has welcomed a new visitor. On Tuesday, cameras spotted an unknown adult spending time in the nest once shared by Jackie and Shadow.

The new eagle was first seen last week, but returned on Tuesday for about 30 minutes to fiddle with a few sticks and pose in front of the nest cam operated by Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV). A sub-adult eagle has also been spotted on FOBBV’s cameras in recent weeks. Shadow has not been seen by the cameras since October 23. Kaydee, a young adult bald eagle who has been seen arranging sticks and singing with Shadow in the past few months, was last seen on October 21.

It’s not unusual for bald eagles to spend less time in their nests in the fall. Fans often refer to this time as “bald eagle vacation,” where the birds will spend time exploring other parts of the area and sleeping in trees with more cover. Mating season for the Big Bear Valley bald eagles typically starts in December. It’s not yet known if Shadow will return to his nest or mate with a new partner following the death of Jackie on August 10.

Jackie and Shadow were not the original inhabitants of the nest seen on the FOBBV cams. Jackie’s parents, Lucy and Ricky, built the nest during the 2012-2013 nesting season. Shortly after the 2011-2012 nesting season, when Jackie was born and eventually fledged, Lucy and Ricky’s old nest blew away in a strong storm.

The old nest sat at the top of a dead tree. The new nest occupied a nearby, stronger tree about 50 feet away from where Jackie was raised. Lucy and Ricky abandoned the nest in the 2015-2016 season, opting instead to build a new nest nearby. At the beginning of the 2016-2017 nesting season, Lucy and Ricky disappeared from the area. It’s unknown where they went or what happened to them. But that same season, a juvenile female began hanging out at their old pad. Experts later guessed this was Jackie. She used this nest, first with original partner Mr. B and later with Shadow, until her death.

In summer 2026, Shadow continued to tend to the nest with the pair’s chicks, Sandy and Luna, until they fledged in mid-July. In the months that followed, he continued to visit the nest and eventually allowed Kaydee to also spend time there.

Stay tuned to the FOBBV cameras to see how this bald eagle story continues to unfold. Camera 1 (the main nest cam) is currently running its usual 24/7 streaming schedule, but Camera 2 (the wide angle) is currently being turned off at night to conserve energy.