After Jackie: Understanding Shadow’s behavior and the bald eagle life cycle

BIG BEAR, Calif. (KESQ) — A young female bald eagle spending time around Shadow and the Big Bear nest is drawing attention just days after the death of his longtime mate, Jackie — but experts say viewers should be careful about interpreting the sightings through a human lens.

The eagle, known as KD1 or Katie, is about four-and-a-half years old and has recently been seen around Shadow, exploring the area and showing interest in the nest.

For people who spent years watching Jackie and Shadow together, Katie’s appearance may feel sudden. But Jenny Voisard, media manager for Friends of Big Bear Valley, says it is far too early to call her Shadow’s new mate.

“First of all, I wouldn't characterize Shadow having a new mate yet because it's not nesting season yet,” Voisard said. “Right now there's a visiting eagle named Katie.”

Bald eagles can be social outside of nesting season, and Voisard said Big Bear Lake can be an attractive stopping point for eagles traveling through the region.

Katie has been seen spending time near Shadow, perching in the area and showing curiosity about the nest, but none of that guarantees the two will eventually form a pair.

“We don't really know what will become of their relationship, if anything,” Voisard said. “Bald eagles can be very social outside of nesting season.”

That uncertainty is especially important as people react to Katie appearing so soon after Jackie’s death.

Voisard said the idea of whether Shadow is “moving on too quickly” applies human expectations about relationships and grief to an animal living according to a very different biological timeline.

“Shadow doesn't really have to deal with human ethics and timing over when it's okay for somebody to maybe find somebody new,” Voisard said. “He can follow the rules of eagles.”

Those rules are driven in part by biology and the changing seasons.

Voisard said the amount of daylight bald eagles are exposed to can help drive hormonal and behavioral changes. In Southern California, nesting season generally begins in late fall and continues into the following spring or summer depending on whether a pair produces eggs or chicks.

If two eagles begin forming a pair, viewers may eventually see behaviors including bringing sticks to a nest, building or improving a nest, flying and soaring together and spending more time near one another.

For an established pair, those behaviors can reinforce an existing bond. For two eagles that have not previously nested together, they could become signs of courtship.

Katie is also at an important stage in her own life.

Bald eagles generally reach sexual maturity around five years old, although Voisard said that process can begin somewhat earlier. Katie, at about four-and-a-half years old, is nearing that point.

“The first five years, they're exploratory, nomadic, visiting places, traveling places,” Voisard said. “So it could be that Katie is at that age where she may be like, ‘Do I want to stay here or do I not want to stay here?’”

That leaves several possibilities. Katie could remain in Big Bear and continue interacting with Shadow, she could eventually move elsewhere, or another eagle could enter the picture.

The interest in those possibilities also highlights the unusually strong connection viewers have developed with Jackie and Shadow.

Millions of moments from their lives have played out in front of cameras over the years. Viewers have watched the pair interact, raise chicks, experience unsuccessful nesting seasons and endure harsh weather.

Voisard said that access allowed people to become familiar with Jackie in a way that is uncommon with wild animals.

“Just being able to watch her go through the ups and downs of life, you respect that,” Voisard said.

She described Jackie as an eagle with many sides - from defending the nest to interacting with Shadow and caring for her young.

“There were just so many sides to her and people felt connected with her,” Voisard said.

That connection can make it easy for viewers to describe what they see using human ideas like love, loyalty, grief or moving on.

There are, however, behavioral changes that can be observed after bald eagles experience a loss.

Voisard said Friends of Big Bear Valley has watched Jackie and Shadow respond differently after losing chicks or eggs in previous years.

“We have seen their behaviors change as a result,” Voisard said. “We have seen them stopping doing what they normally do, and usually one will help the other to kind of get over things.”

After Jackie was no longer around, Shadow was also seen calling and looking for her.

Jackie and Shadow were known to spend time together even outside of nesting season, something Voisard said does not happen with every pair.

Still, there is a limit to what anyone can conclude from those observations.

“We don't really know what's in his mind, what he's thinking or what's in his heart,” Voisard said.

The same uncertainty applies to Katie.

For now, Friends of Big Bear Valley is avoiding predictions about what the coming months will bring.

That can be difficult for viewers who have become invested in the birds and want to know what Shadow’s next chapter will look like.

“People want information. People don't like uncertainty. People want us to predict,” Voisard said. “And this is nature. It's unscripted.”

Instead of trying to determine now whether Katie will become part of Shadow’s future, Voisard said the organization will continue doing what it has always done; observing the eagles and learning from what unfolds naturally.

“We don't guess the outcomes,” Voisard said. “We just observe what happens and we learn.”