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Big Bear Valley’s baby bald eagle Sunny takes first flight as sister Gizmo looks on| Video
Sunny, the baby bald eagle in California’s Big Bear Valley, has taken flight. All eyes are now on his sister Gizmo, who may soon follow.
Jackie and Shadow, the celebrity eagles from California’s Big Bear Valley, shared a proud parental moment on Monday (June 2) morning as one of their two chicks, named Sunny, took her first flight. The moment came after weeks of training by both parents.
Friends of Big Bear Valley, a non-profit organization that has set up multiple cameras in the region and aids a 24-hour live stream of this eagle family’s activities, shared the happy news on social media by writing, “At 10:46 am this morning, Sunny flew from the upper Y-branch right out into the world! She put up her wings to catch the wind and then jumped up and let those beautiful wings carry her. She circled back around toward Shadow and Jackie’s favorite roost tree and a bit later, our awesome camera operators were able to find Sunny, perching near the top of the roost tree.”
“I feel elated that Sunny made it and is flying and is successful, and sad at the same time,” said Sandy Steers, Executive Director of the Friends of Big Bear Valley, in an interview with KCAL News. Previous weeks’ footage of the eagle cam captures the two chicks practicing their flight techniques by covering short-range distances from branch to branch.
The moment was an exciting one for Sunny’s parents who had been training her and her sister Gizmo during their fledging period by laying out larger sticks as outer guardrails around their nest. Eagle chicks are typically ready to fly sometime between being 10 to 14 weeks old which means Sunny’s latest accomplishment is right on schedule. Eagle watchers on the live stream had been on the lookout for a possible first flight for some time now. Needless to say, Monday’s miracle came as a welcome surprise after weeks of speculation.
All eyes are now set on Gizmo’s probable first flight arriving sometime soon. The younger one watched her sister in awe as she soared her wings in the sky. “We’ve never had two fledge,” Steers added. “We’re watching to see what really happens. Gizmo is younger and has been developing slower... so we’ll have to see what she decides to do.”
Jackie and Shadow laid a third egg as well besides Sunny and Gizmo but their third chick named Misty died during a snowstorm in the valley a few days after hatching on March 6.
