Big Bear woke to a sound that carried two emotions at once. Before the sun reached the valley on August 18, Shadow and KD1 filled the morning with a duet of chortles from the Roost Tree, where they had spent the night perched close together.
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For eagle watchers still grieving Jackie, the Shadow and KD1 morning duet did not erase that loss. Nothing could. Instead, it offered something much quieter. Shadow’s familiar voice had another eagle answering him again.
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Shadow and KD1 Morning Duet Breaks the Quiet
The latest footage covers the morning and evening of August 17 before continuing into the early hours of August 18.
As darkness settled over Big Bear on August 17, Shadow and KD1 were both visible in the Roost Tree. Shadow perched on the right. KD1 settled on the left, close enough that the darker feathers still remaining on the top of KD1’s head helped distinguish the younger eagle from Shadow.
Then came another small detail. KD1 settled facing toward Shadow for the night. It would be easy to attach a human meaning to that position. We cannot know what either eagle was thinking. Still, the scene added another moment to a pattern that has been building for days. KD1 was no longer simply passing through a tree Shadow happened to occupy.
The two eagles were spending another night close together.
Then Big Bear Heard Two Voices At Dawn
The Roost Tree came alive before the morning really began. Shadow and KD1 traded chortles several times, with Shadow mixing in some of the unmistakable snorting sounds longtime viewers know so well. Back and forth the calls traveled through the trees.
For years, early morning chortles were part of the rhythm surrounding Jackie and Shadow in Big Bear. Hearing Shadow vocalizing with another eagle so soon after Jackie’s death makes this moment understandably complicated.
There is grief in recognizing what is missing. But there is also something encouraging in hearing what has returned. Two eagle voices were carrying through Big Bear again.
KD1 Heads To Another Familiar Big Bear Perch
Eventually, the morning duet ended and the two eagles began their day. KD1 left the Roost Tree and flew to the Cactus Snag, with the flight visible from both Big Bear cameras. The young banded eagle remained there for nearly half an hour before taking off again.
Shadow also left the Roost Tree but flew beyond camera view. KD1’s choice of perch added another piece to an increasingly interesting pattern. The Cactus Snag is part of the familiar network of trees surrounding the Big Bear eagle territory. Jackie used it. Shadow uses it. Now KD1 appears comfortable there too.
And it is not the only familiar place KD1 has explored. During the past several days, KD1 has appeared around the nest, Twin Pines, the Roost Tree and other favored perches near Shadow. This is no longer one quick encounter between two bald eagles. The young banded eagle keeps coming back.
KD1 Keeps Returning To Shadow’s World
KD1 was first seen on the Big Bear cameras on August 6. Friends of Big Bear Valley later identified the banded eagle as KD1, which hatched in Southern California in March 2022.
As the days passed, KD1 began perching near Shadow in several of his favorite trees. Then the encounters became more remarkable. KD1 visited the Big Bear nest for the first time on August 10. Days later, KD1 followed Shadow into the nest, moved sticks and even gently preened his feathers. The two have also spent extended periods together in the Twin Pines and have now repeatedly settled near one another in the Roost Tree.
Friends of Big Bear Valley described KD1’s increasing presence near Shadow but cautioned that it remains too early to know whether the two eagles are developing a pair bond. More meaningful clues may come once breeding behavior strengthens later this fall and winter.
That distinction matters. Something is clearly happening between these two eagles in the simplest sense: they are repeatedly choosing to remain near one another. What that eventually becomes remains unwritten.
Does This Mean Shadow And KD1 Are Becoming A Pair?
Not yet. Morning chortles, shared perches and nights in the same Roost Tree certainly give eagle watchers plenty to watch. However, none of those moments alone can confirm that Shadow has accepted KD1 as a future mate.
Bald eagles can form another pair bond when a longtime mate dies. The National Park Service notes that although some eagle pairs remain together for many years, a surviving eagle can eventually pair again after losing its mate. Territory quality may also play a role in pair bonds.
Whether that happens between Shadow and KD1 is another question entirely. For now, the cameras are showing the earliest part of the story. There is no need to race to the ending.
Jackie Is Still Part Of Big Bear’s Story
Perhaps that is why these scenes can feel beautiful and painful at the same time. Jackie died in the early morning hours of August 10 after more than three weeks of intensive medical care.
Only days have passed. Seeing another eagle beside Shadow does not remove Jackie from the trees, the nest or the memories created there. KD1 does not need to replace her.
Jackie’s years with Shadow already belong to Big Bear. So do the eaglets they raised, the mornings they spent chortling from the trees and the countless ordinary moments that became extraordinary because cameras allowed the world to watch. Nature simply keeps moving. Now Shadow is still here, and another eagle keeps appearing beside him.
A New Routine May Be Taking Shape
One shared perch could be coincidence. One nest visit could be curiosity. One night in the same tree could simply be two bald eagles choosing a good place to sleep. But repeated behavior becomes harder to overlook.
KD1 has returned to Shadow’s familiar trees. KD1 has entered the nest. The young eagle has moved sticks, preened Shadow and spent long periods perched nearby. Now the two are sleeping close together and greeting the morning with repeated chortles.
That still does not tell us where this story ends. It does tell us there is a story worth watching. The next several months should reveal much more as Big Bear moves toward another breeding season. Perhaps KD1 eventually leaves. Perhaps another eagle enters the picture.
Or perhaps the two voices now echoing through the Roost Tree will still be answering one another when winter reaches Big Bear. For now, there is no need to decide.
On the morning of August 18, the sun began to rise over Big Bear.
Shadow chortled.
KD1 answered.
And after so much silence and loss, the valley had two eagle voices in the morning again.
Lady Hawk recorded and shared the video on YouTube. The Friends of Big Bear Valley make this live cam experience possible.
FAQ
Are Shadow and KD1 mates?
No pair bond has been confirmed. Friends of Big Bear Valley says it remains too early to know whether Shadow and KD1 will become a pair. Their behavior during the fall and winter breeding period should provide more clues.
Did Shadow and KD1 spend the night together?
They were observed perched close together in the Roost Tree during the night covered in the August 17-18 footage. Both Shadow and KD1 remained there into the morning with a duet before eventually flying away.
Is KD1 a female bald eagle?
KD1 is larger than Shadow, which is consistent with female bald eagles generally being larger than males, but KD1’s sex has not been confirmed.
Could Shadow eventually choose another mate after Jackie?
Yes. Bald eagles often maintain long-term pair bonds, but a surviving eagle can form another pair bond if its mate dies. Whether Shadow eventually pairs with KD1 remains unknown.
Why is KD1’s use of the familiar Big Bear trees interesting?
KD1 has repeatedly used trees and perches within the same habitat Shadow uses, including the Roost Tree, Twin Pines and Cactus Snag. Combined with repeated time near Shadow and visits to the nest, that makes KD1’s continued presence worth watching. It does not, by itself, prove that KD1 has established a territory or formed a pair bond.
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