Big Bear wildlife activists name eagle spotted with Shadow

Wildlife activists on Thursday named the new eagle that has been spotted following Shadow through Big Bear's treetops and skies.

"Generally, Friends of Big Bear Valley does not give names to nest visitors unless they have been around long-term…until now," the Friends of Big Bear Valley wrote in a Facebook post.

FOBBV chose the name Kaydee after referring to the eagle as KD1 for the past week. Shadow's new companion was spotted just days after his longtime mate, Jackie, died after nearly a month of health setbacks stemming from anemia and a mystery illness.

Kaydee is a banded eaglet that hatched in the Prado Basin in Riverside County in 2021, according to field biologist Jenna Carpenter. Her parents, named Ricky and Lucy, arrived in the Prado Basin 6 years ago and built a nest. KD hatched the second year, one of nine eagles who fledged here. She, like many eagles, is currently in Big Bear, which is normal behavior for young adults.

"A lot of eagles just go to Big Bear to hang out for a while," Carpenter said. "It's not breeding season right now and so most of the eagles what they're thinking about is being in good habitat with good food."

FOBBV said they aren't sure if Kaydee is female but "are leaning towards" the eagle being female. Birdwatchers said Kaydee and Shadow have been flying around together for the past couple of days, flying to different trees and sometimes perching themselves on different branches for hours.