Govind Tekale
In a moment eagerly awaited by thousands of online viewers, Gizmo, the younger of two Big Bear bald eaglets, took her first flight on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at 8:27 a.m. This milestone came just five days after her older sister Sunny first left the nest on June 2.
The dramatic moment was captured on the popular live eagle cam operated by Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV), which has followed the eaglets’ development since they hatched in March. Viewers watched as 13-week-old Gizmo walked onto a branch, flapped her wings vigorously, and then took to the air.
“Gizmo did it!” announced FOBBV on their Facebook page, celebrating the successful flight.
The initial attempt appeared somewhat unsteady, with Gizmo quickly latching onto a nearby branch before taking off again more successfully. The wide-angle camera showed what appeared to be Gizmo perched in a different tree shortly afterward.
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Both eaglets, now believed to be females, spent the weeks leading up to their flights practicing with what FOBBV described as “intense wingersizing sessions” on the high perch of their nest. Bald eagles typically take their first flights when they’re between 10 and 14 weeks old, making both Sunny and Gizmo right on schedule at about 12-13 weeks.
Sandy Steers, Executive Director of FOBBV, noted that while the eaglets have left the nest, they’re not leaving home completely. Young eagles typically return to the nest regularly after fledging and remain in the area for 1-3 months, continuing to rely on their parents Jackie and Shadow for food and protection while developing critical survival skills.
“Sunny & Gizmo will both take time to perfect their hunting and fishing skills. They will follow Jackie & Shadow around the habitat for about 1-3 months after fledge-watching and learning all these important Eagle skills,” according to FOBBV.
This nesting season was notable for several firsts. It marked the first time Jackie laid three eggs at once, though sadly the eldest chick, later named Misty in honor of a late FOBBV volunteer, did not survive a severe winter storm that dumped two feet of snow on the nest. It was also the first time two eaglets from this nest reached the fledging stage together.
The eagle family’s nest sits about 145 feet high in a Jeffrey Pine tree overlooking Big Bear Lake in California’s San Bernardino Mountains. Jackie and Shadow, who have been a mating pair since 2018, are both native to Big Bear. Jackie is believed to be the first recorded bald eagle chick hatched in Big Bear in 2012, while Shadow hatched in the area in 2015.
Since the eaglets are not banded or tagged for tracking, it will be difficult to identify them individually once they leave the nest area permanently. Eventually, the young eagles will venture far from Big Bear, with Southern California fledglings previously spotted as far north as British Columbia, as far east as Yellowstone, and as far south as Baja California.
For devoted eagle cam viewers experiencing a touch of “empty nest syndrome,” Jackie and Shadow’s next nesting season is only months away. Jackie has historically begun laying eggs in January, giving fans something to look forward to in the new year.
