Ever since Big Bear bald eagle couple Jackie and Shadow welcomed three eaglets in March, thousands of people have been watching the Friends of Big Bear Valley live cam to follow the nest’s activity, particularly after one chick tragically died during a snowstorm. Thankfully, the two surviving eaglets, Sunny and Gizmo, appear healthy as they approach 11 weeks old. As bald eaglets are known to fledge, or take their first flight, between 10-12 weeks old, this is prime time to tune in and try to catch the eaglets at an exciting milestone.
For the last couple of weeks, we’ve watched Sunny and Gizmo wing-flapping to strengthen their wing muscles; “branching,” or hopping between branches in the nest tree; and even playing tug-of-war with a tasty fish provided by dad Shadow. The two eaglets are now nearly fully-grown birds, making for an especially crowded nest when the parents are home.
The most recent update on Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV)’s Facebook page revealed that Gizmo, the smaller of the two eaglets, is likely a female. They hope to make a more educated guess about Sunny’s sex in the next few days. FOBBV also shared that the eaglets made a cameo on American Idol last Sunday during a bit where Ryan Seacrest and crew watch the live stream in the control room.
Once Sunny and Gizmo begin flying (any moment now!), they will practice their flight skills and learn to hunt and forage while their parents continue to take care of them. You can look for this behavior at 12-16 weeks of age, or during the rest of May into June. By 17-23 weeks, bald eaglets usually migrate away from the nest—you can learn more about what’s next for the eaglets here.