2 STRANGE EAGLES IN OUR MIDST! BANDED & UNBANDED ADULTS ON NEST TREE & TERRITORY w/ SHADOW! 10.23.26

It has been quite the day with at least two strange eagles visiting the nesting area of Shadow and even checking out his nest! The first visitor landed in the attic of the nest tree very early in the morning. This bald eagle (BAEA - unidentified) stayed 8 minutes before flying off. It appears this eagle flew to Cactus Snag & then off. Because of the lightening it was not possible to know if this was the banded or unbanded visitor. Later in the morning a BAEA was perched on Lookout Snag & stayed 9 minutes before flying off. An hour later Shadow flies in to LS and perches for 15 minutes. He appeared to be looking for Kaydee who was not seen today on cam. After Shadow flies off LS, the cam op spots an adult banded eagle on Sunny Hideout. We have some excellent zooming on the visitor - it appears to be a female with its large size, thick ankles and feet, It is not Kaydee - this eagle's bands could not be read for a positive identification. There is another banded eagle spending time in Big Bear - KA1 who hatched in Lake Hermit in 2023 . So we have at least five visitors currently in Big Bear (Banded adult, unbanded adult, sub adult, juvie & KA1) and Shadow was seen chasing after one of the visitors escorting out of the area. There were multiple flybys this afternoon in the distance. Then one of the adult visitor landed on Lookout Snag and Shadow flew in and was very vocal and loud. This was not Kaydee but one of the strange eagles visiting (not sure if it was the banded or unbanded eagle). The visitor flew off & Shadow flew off as well. Kaydee was not seen on cam today. So what does all this eagle activity mean? During the off season, eagles of various ages tend to congregate around good fishing spots to take advantage of the food sources. Sub adults & immature eagles are floaters - meaning they are too young to have their own territory so they tend to form a nomadic "float" population that wanders between habitats. Highly productive lake environments like Big Bear Lake draw in these floaters. Adult eagles that are without a mate or just reaching maturity will be visiting the area as well. Shadow does not need to defend the nest now that Sandy & Luna have dispersed the area to start their own lives, so he is less territorial around these floater eagles. To see him perched close to one of the sub adults/adults is normal eagle behavior this time of the year. The visiting eagles will leave Big Bear and move on to other territories as they continue to wander until they are mature adults. Breeding season for adults in Big Bear begins in late November - early December and that is when Shadow will be more active around his nest. What does this mean for Shadow & Kaydee? Probably nothing will change. Kaydee was spotted down at the lake eating a fish today and there was a juvie near by her. Today's visitors will probably move on shortly and we will see Kaydee & Shadow back roosting together in the roost tree soon! Until then, enjoy these beautiful eagles visiting the area! LADY HAWK'S STICK & FLUFF COUNT: Shadow - 1 stick Kaydee - 9 Sticks + 1 fluff Thank you for watching! Jackie is forever in our hearts ♥ Original live video courtesy of ‪@FOBBVCAM‬ https://www.friendsofbigbearvalley.org/ The opinions presented on this channel do not necessarily reflect the opinions of FOBBV Video captured & edited by Lady Hawk Male Eagle: Shadow (unbanded) Estimated hatch year 2014 Female Eagle: Jackie (unbanded) Estimated hatch year 2012 2026 Highlights: Egg #1 laid on 1/23/26 at 16:32:24PM Egg #2 laid on 1/26/26 at 17:09:24PM Egg #1 & Egg #2 were breached by Ravens on 1/30/26 at 15:25PM `````````````````````````` Egg #1 of 2nd clutch laid on 2/24/26 at 14:29:38PM Egg #2 of 2nd clutch laid on 2/27/26 at 17:55:33PM Chick 1 hatched on 4/4/26 at 21:33:35PM Day 39 - named Sandy Chick 2 hatched on 4/5/26 at 08:30:45AM Day 37- Easter Sunday! Named Luna Sandy accidental fledge 6/28/26 Day 84 Luna fledge 6/29/26 at 09:24:43 - Day 85 Jackie passes away on 8/10/26 at age 14 Jackie's necropsy results from Ojai Raptor Center 10/14/26: https://www.ojairaptorcenter.org/faq2...