See Gizmo fly!
The Big Bear eaglet “fledged,” which means it flew out of the nest, on Saturday at the age of 13 weeks old. Gizmo is the second eaglet to fly out of the family nest this year, wowing fans of the live webcam that monitors the Big Bear family of eagles that includes mom Jackie, dad Shadow and sibling Sunny.
“As this is an extremely sensitive time for Jackie and Shadow and their fledglings, their habitat remains closed by federal order. For their safety, please do not go into or around the habitat,” according to a post from Friends of Big Bear Valley.
The U.S. Forest Service and the California Fish and Wildlife agencies are monitoring the area in order to keep the eagles and their habitat protected. Sunny fledged last week at the age of 13 weeks old.
Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that operates the 24-hour nest cam that is 145 feet up a Jeffrey pine tree, overlooking Big Bear Lake, uses tree names to avoid disclosing information about nest locations and has asked people not to share or solicit information about the habitat’s location.
The developments of the two young eaglets have been followed closely by wildlife enthusiasts especially after Jackie and Shadow laid three eggs last year that didn’t hatch amid a brutal winter storm that covered the nest with snow.
Fans of the eagles watched with anticipation last month when Sunny “hovered” over the nest for the first time. The eaglet then flew last week from the nest.
Jackie and Shadow will be following the eaglets around, protecting them and helping them find food for a few weeks to a few months, said Sandy Steers, executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that operates the 24-hour nest cam. Eagles don’t reach sexual maturity until they’re around 4 or 5 years old.
The first year of life can be dangerous for an eagle. A juvenile bald eagle has less than a 50% chance of surviving because of its inexperience, according to the American Eagle Foundation. If they survive, they can live 15 to 30 years in the wild.
Eaglets usually fledge at 10 to 14 weeks of age.
Gizmo is the fifth eaglet from Jackie and Shadow who has fledged. Four have fledged since the camera was installed, according to Steers, which she said is par for the course. The webcam was installed in 2015 and recorded its first nesting season in 2017.
