Learning To Fly: Watch Big Bear Eaglets Test Their Wings

BIG BEAR, CA — Two Big Bear eaglets who hatched this spring are spreading their wings, and though they are still a bit unbalanced, they are making strides right on schedule, naturalists say.

The eaglets, known as Sunny and Gizmo, were hatched during a break in the spring snowstorms in March. Their sibling, Misty, did not survive the icy blast. Still, for the family of four, with spring in the air, it's time to grow, eat, and take those first steps toward growth and ultimately, flight.

The nest belongs to the bonded eagle pair, Jackie and Shadow, and is situated in Big Bear Valley, within the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California. It is about 145 feet up in a Jeffrey Pine tree, according to the Friends of Big Bear Valley, whose volunteer naturalists monitor the health and well-being of the family.

Video recorded this week, and shared by the Friends of Big Bear Valley webcams, shows the two eaglets spreading wings and hopping. This is the first budding effort at flight, and a mimicry of mom and dad. The pair is right on target, developmentally, according to reports.

"Early Sunday morning, Sunny was up stretching and doing some fairly aggressive wingers and we were able to witness a few stomps, small jumps and hops," a naturalist reported. "Not much airtime yet, but it's a work in progress. Gizmo has been working hard on balance and coordination and not surprisingly at all, conquered standing up tall and walking for just over three minutes yesterday!"

During the day, Shadow brought a small, gray-bellied bird for breakfast.

"Gizmo was eager to reach over and grab it with its beak. That was a great start, but not really knowing yet what to do next, Dad stepped in and began to defeather their fresh meal. Mama Jackie brought a fish a little while later, so everyone was fed and crops were full."

Each day, volunteers from Friends of Big Bear Valley monitor the eaglets' progress as they grow and fill the nest, and the weather on the mountain warms. Ultimately, they will grow contour feathers, become better balanced and more confident standing on their nearly full-sized feet. Next steps are grabbing, stealing and mantling food, as well as vigorous flapping, lifting off, and then "branching" or taking a few steps and flaps from the nest. But that, and flap-hovering, is still weeks away.

"Every day these two are surprising us with something new," they said. "Their weekly improvement shows us that they seem to be developing just beautifully. Their sweet bond is exactly what we all had hoped for and it is such a pleasure to observe Jackie and Shadow as amazing parents once again!"