An unidentified bald eagle spent 36 minutes in Shadow’s nest above Big Bear Lake on October 27, 2026. It arrived at 10 a.m., adding another sighting to several days of eagle activity around the nest and its neighboring trees.

The appearance comes as viewers follow Shadow through his first autumn since Jackie’s death in August. The banded eagle known as Kaydee has been spending time near him, while other eagles have also appeared in the habitat.

Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that operates the cameras, recorded another nest visit on October 27, from 4:39 to 4:43 p.m. Its live observation record doesn’t establish whether the afternoon visitor was the same eagle seen that morning. All times are local to Big Bear.

The log also records nest visits on October 23 and 24, but it doesn’t connect those sightings to the October 27 visitor.

Shadow was identified on Lookout Snag on October 23. Kaydee spent about 15 minutes on that perch on October 22. These sightings belong to a wider pattern of Shadow and Kaydee sharing perches around the lake through late summer and autumn.

Kaydee carries an identifying leg band, KD1, that connects the bird to its 2022 hatch in Southern California.

The visitor’s identity and sex remain unknown. Adult males and females look much alike, with white heads and tails. Females tend to be larger, but a readable leg band gives observers a much clearer connection to an individual bird’s history.

Coverage of the surrounding habitat has also narrowed. As of October 27, FOBBV said its wide-view camera, Cam 2, was temporarily offline while the solar batteries recharged. The nest camera continued to supply observations, leaving viewers with a smaller window onto the birds’ movements.

Autumn brings more eagles into the picture

Big Bear’s history with bald eagles began with winter visitors. Before a pair established year-round residence, eagles came to the valley during colder months to find food as lakes farther north froze. The resident family familiar to webcam viewers grew out of that longer seasonal history.

Across California, migratory bald eagles arrive during fall and early winter, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Some remain into spring, sharing the state with eagles that live there year-round. The October visitor’s origin hasn’t been established.

Away from the work of incubating eggs and raising chicks, eagles have reasons to spend their days elsewhere. They hunt over the lake, rest on shoreline perches and tend their feathers. For the night, they can settle at favored roosts, standing on branches rather than lying in the nest bowl.

The nest itself can draw birds back well before there are eggs to tend. Adding material and arranging sticks can help a pair maintain its bond and prepare for a later breeding attempt.

The nest’s already outlasted several changes in its occupants. Ricky and Lucy, the pair believed to be Jackie’s parents, began using it during the 2012–13 season. They later built another nest nearby. Jackie later occupied the camera nest.

Shadow’s partnership with Jackie began after her previous mate, Mr. B, left in 2018. Before that change, Shadow was the eagle refusing to leave when Mr. B tried to drive him away. The familiar resident had once been the unfamiliar bird at this nest.

FOBBV says nesting activity at Big Bear usually builds during October or November and becomes busier in December. Some of that work’s already on record this autumn: Kaydee delivered a stick on September 12, and Shadow brought one on October 10.