It's still early, but Shadow and Kaydee the bald eagles are turning into a regular Ross and Rachel. And just like the TV show, fans are wondering if they're destined to be just friends, or far more.
Kaydee followed Shadow home to his longtime nest and began rearranging sticks on the evening of Sunday, Aug. 23. Soon after that, they touched beaks. But later when she nibbled at him in apparent curiosity, he appeared annoyed and established some boundaries.
For more than 10 minutes, the will-they-or-won't-they couple put on quite a show for fans of the eagles in Big Bear Valley, California. Their fledgling relationship has provided a bright spot for droves of fans around the globe who are mourning the death of Shadow's longtime partner, Jackie, following
a mysterious illness earlier this month.
"She's a bossy pants!" one fan said of Kaydee's behavior in the nest where Shadow has been raising eaglets for years. Another wrote of her rearranging sticks, saying that "she wants an open floor plan." And another: "These women are all the same!"
The eagles' entertaining interactions came about 12 hours after Kaydee hammed it up in front of the nest camera just as the sun rose. She stood directly in front of the camera for at least five minutes, showing off her size and beauty, and cleaning her feathers.
At one point she appeared to look into the lens and see her own reflection, causing her to tilt her head back and forth in bewilderment.
It's a move previously made by Jackie, Shadow and their many offspring over the years, causing one commenter to point out: "It’s the family head tilt!"
Darrel Greenspon wrote that he's "wishing and hoping that Shadow and Kaydee will wind up together." He added: "Still feeling sad about Jackie but it's funny how nature works in the wild."
Lisa Harris-Scruggs said she thinks Kaydee "is making us all aware a new chick has taken over the home place and keeping Shadow company." She added: " We see you Kaydee, just give our hearts a little time."
Shadow may need more time, too. Though he seems to have accepted Kaydee into his life and has spent many hours with her over a nearly two-week period, he rebuffed her bold efforts to nibble at his feathers and lower beak on Sunday. He appeared to snap at her both times though he did nothing to harm her or try to drive her from the nest.
"Shadow's heart still belongs to Jackie," wrote Betty Stubbs.
Sandy Davey Forester wrote that Shadow was OK with Kaydee "until she tried beaky kissing him and preening him." But, as longtime eagle watchers know, that's often a part of any couple's behavior, and mirrors how Shadow and Jackie acted when they were courting.
"When Shadow first tried to warm up to Jackie it was the same thing," Forester wrote. "He didn't back down. And look what they became together."
Perhaps more telling during their interaction on Sunday was when Shadow and Kaydee appeared to be rearranging sticks together. Affectionately termed "nestorations," it mimicked how eagle couples who prepare their nest for incoming eggs.
Many took their behavior as a sign of what's to come when mating season starts. Eagle mating hormones don't kick in until December or January in California. For the past eight years, that's when Jackie and Shadow have begun reinforcing their nest and mating.
Though most eagles mate for life, Shadow wasn't Jackie's only mate. Her first mate was known as Mr. B, and the pair had two baby eagles in 2018, though only one survived.
Soon after, Shadow came to town, chased off Mr. B and stole Jackie's heart.
While wildlife experts don't know if Kaydee will be Shadow's next love, they agree that he will mate again and father more eaglets.
"He's got some time," Friends of Big Bear Valley spokeswoman Jenny Voisard told USA TODAY. "All we can do is watch and see."
Meanwhile Kaydee continues to make herself at home in Jackie and Shadow's nest, and the vast majority of fans seem cautiously excited about it.
Kaydee was born in March 2022 in the Prado Basin in Southern California's Orange County, about 70 miles southwest of Big Bear Lake, according to Jenna Carpenter, a wildlife biologist with the Orange County Water District. She and other wildlife officials banded her, which helps them learn more about bald eagle behavior, lifespan and territory.
Wildlife officials strongly believe Kaydee is female based on her size and other characteristics. Kaydee is also about 4.5 years old, which means she's on the cusp of her first breeding season.
Shadow is 12, leading some to joke that he's taking comfort in a younger woman. People are also poking fun at the fact that Kaydee is banded, which looks like the eagle version of an ankle monitor.
"I don't know, Shadow," one fan posted on TikTok. "A lady with an ankle monitor may be fun . . . or trouble."
One part of Kaydee's background that has Jackie and Shadow fans chirping is an incredible coincidence. Kaydee hatched to eagle parents named Lucy and Ricky in 2022. Though Jackie hatched a decade earlier and 70 miles away, her parents also were named Lucy and Ricky.
Fans also couldn't help but notice that Kaydee was first seen in Jackie and Shadow's nest on Monday, Aug. 10, just hours after the dreaded announcement that Jackie had died.
"I think Jackie sent her to Shadow," eagle fan Cynthia Chamberlain wrote on Facebook. "She wouldn't want him to be alone."
Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter who covers the death penalty, cold case investigations, breaking news − and sometimes eagles − for USA TODAY. Follow her on X at @amandaleeusat.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will they or won't they? Shadow and Kaydee the eagles spend time in nest
