Big Bear Bald Eaglet 'Sunny' Reaches Huge Milestone

BIG BEAR, CA — Tens of thousands were watching on a livestream Friday morning when a young bald eagle hovered for a few seconds, achieving another milestone in pursuit of its first flight.

It was the second time the eaglet was observed hovering in preparation to "fledge" or fly away from its nest. The first hovering attempt was captured on the livestream on Thursday.

The real time growth of two young bald eagles — Sunny and Gizmo — that hatched this spring is being captured between two live web cams maintained by the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley.

"Sunny had a beautiful wind-aided short hover today, off the High Perch branch, landing in the nest," according to the nonprofit's Eagle Log. "Their focus now is on their next challenge….to soar high and land safely!"

For two days, Sunny has practiced in preparation for its first flight as sibling Gizmo watches. The first attempt, which was recorded after 1 p.m. on Thursday, saw Sunny up on the "high perch" of the nest, which is a Y-shaped branch overlooking the lake. Sunny waited for the wind to pick up before spreading its wings to catch a few seconds of air.

The wind eventually knocked Sunny back into the nest with its sibling Gizmo.

Jackie and Shadow's previous offspring, Spirit and Simba, both took their first flights from that very spot in 2019 and 2022, according to the Ealge Log.

"Sunny seemed proud to show off this latest big accomplishment to Mama Jackie when she arrived by flapping and twirling about, balancing perfectly as if it were routine," the log said of Thursday's first hover.

Then at 9:26 a.m. on Friday, Sunny again stunned live cam viewers as the eaglet boldly launched above the nest to hover for a few seconds. Moments later, Jackie, mother of the two eaglets, arrived with a snack for her babies. Undoubtedly, she also saw her baby's brave attempt.

Fledge watch began on May 13 for the two eaglets, according to the nonprofit. Eagles have a very wide fledge window that can occur between reaching 10 and 14 weeks old.

"It is a wait and see who fledges first and when," the nonprofit said Friday on its live cam chat. "We may have to wait several weeks. No rush, Sunny and Gizmo!"

The two babies hatched in early March to the bonded eagle pair, Jackie and Shadow.

While Sunny's gender is unknown, the nonprofit said last week that it believes Gizmo is a female.

At just over two months old, the young eagles are getting ready to fly, and their gender behaviors are starting to become apparent, last Tuesday's daily update revealed. One of the behaviors that moves the needle toward female has to do with how they gain their food, and the size of their feet.

"Gizmo's size, compared to Shadow, the ankle size and general behavior, we are pretty sure that Gizmo is a girl," they wrote. "Her obsession with food is also a sign."

To help fundraise for the non-profit that observes the Bald Eagle couple, visit their web page and shop.