After months of watching them grow from little gray fluffballs into full-sized birds, viewers finally had a chance to witness one of Big Bear’s bald eaglets in flight for the first time! Sunny, the elder of the two bald eaglets, flew the nest on Monday while her sister Gizmo kept a close watch. The eaglets are now nearly 13 weeks old, which is prime time for fledging—Gizmo is likely to follow in her sister’s wingflaps soon.
How was Sunny’s first flight?
Viewers have been watching the live cam with bated breath for weeks as Sunny and Gizmo flap their impressive wings and build up their muscles. The two eaglets were seen venturing to further and further branches in the nest tree, sometimes hovering and hopping between branches.
Then, on Monday, June 2nd at 10:46 AM, Sunny finally took flight and soared in a jubilant circle before returning to the nest tree. Gizmo watched the whole spectacle intently, craning her head around to track her sister in the air.
Now, viewers will be watching intently to see if they can catch Gizmo taking her first flight, which could happen any moment now.
What else has happened on Big Bear’s eagle nest live cam?
Big Bear has been live streaming this bald eagle nest since 2018, located 145 feet up a Jeffrey Pine Tree in Big Bear Valley. Since then, millions of viewers have watched bald eagle parents Jackie and Shadow lay 14 eggs together, with five hatching successfully.
Jackie and Shadow laid three eggs at the beginning of this year, all of which hatched in March. Viewers were devastated when one of the three chicks tragically did not survive a heavy winter snowstorm that same month. Fortunately, the other two chicks, which local elementary students named Sunny and Gizmo, have grown into healthy and nearly full-sized bald eagles.
What’s next for Sunny and Gizmo?
Sunny and Gizmo are now nearly 13 weeks old, and once Gizmo joins Sunny in fledging the nest, they will both learn to hunt and forage. Eagle parents usually continue to care for their chicks during this time, so you can still likely see the family interacting on the live cam through June.
When the eaglets are 17-23 weeks old (July-August), they will conceivably migrate away from the nest. California bald eaglets usually make a long migration up to northern and western Canada before returning to California in a few months. You can read our article for more information about what to expect.