In March, the girls and I started watching the Big Bear Valley Bald Eagle nest-streaming camera showcasing a pair of bald eagles, Jackie and Shadow, who had just laid their first brood of three eggs. At the time we started watching, the first egg just hatched and we watched and waited for the next two to do likewise, so there were three chicks and a lot of learning for those who tuned in. The Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV) folks who run the cameras also host live chats where I have learned quite a bit about the life of bald eagles from chicks to fledglings. To supplement our daily viewing, we’ve also checked out a few books on our library days, gaining plenty of facts and a greater understanding of eagle behaviors.
As part of our unschooling days, I open my laptop to the live streaming each morning and we periodically check on “our” eagles. We have talked about the way the parents trade off on the care of their young chicks, each sitting first on the eggs and then on the hatched chicks. We’ve watched the parents bring food, specifically a lot of fish from the nearby lake, and feed their babies. We have laughed at the dad, Shadow, carrying new sticks to the nest and moving existing sticks around the nest, often hitting his mate, Jackie, as he maneuvered the sticks from one place to another. When a sudden snowstorm hit the area and covered the next and the babies, we grieved the loss of one of the three babies who didn’t get enough protection beneath Jackie. And we have marveled at how quickly the remaining two eagle chicks have grown and changed, comparing the now older eaglets to teenagers.
Over the past several days, we have been on fledge watch with at least 85,000 other Internet streamers, tuning in, wondering which of the two young eaglets, Sunny or Gizmo, would be the first to leave the nest. Each morning in the recent week, I have opened my laptop wondering if both would still be there, flapping in each others’ spaces, nipping at each others’ feathers, and playing tug-of-war with fish brought to the next by Shadow. And with a bit of an exhale of relief, we had discovered the two still there, still prepping with hops and hovers and bounces around the nest.
That was until yesterday afternoon. Monday is an appointment day for my youngest and so we gathered our things and headed off, the three of us, my youngest with what she needs for her appointment and my oldest and I with things to do during the younger teen’s counseling session. Upon returning home, I opened my laptop to check on the eagles and realized there was only a single eaglet in the camera shot. With a quick refresh of the YouTube page, I found my confirmation that Sunny had indeed fledged while we were gone—a video in the sidebar announced that she had lifted off at 10:46 California time. Immediately, I headed upstairs and told each girl Sunny had fledged.
We watched the clip and celebrated her departure, but there was also a bit of sadness because we know she’s gone and the days of seeing her regularly in the nest are over. We also wondered what Gizmo might experience as the sole eaglet with the nest all to himself. Honestly, she seemed fairly content to relax and indulge in the fish Shadow brought back at least twice as we streamed through the late afternoon and evening. We watched Gizmo hunker down for the night and bid her goodnight as we have done most nights since we started tuning in.
As always, we pulled up the stream this morning, wondering how soon it will be before Gizmo follows her sibling and our eagle-watching days will come to a close. As we watched, we saw Gizmo reacting to something over her head, and, lo and behold, Sunny landed atop the nesting tree. Though the fledged eaglet left for a bit, it has since returned and even joined the family for a fish lunch in the nest, where it has remained for the afternoon (which is a good thing since there is currently a storm in their area).
Watching these eagle siblings brings our family joy, and that also fills me with gratitude. I enjoy the connection we share around these eagles. Even more, I like the way each of us assigns human characteristics to Gizmo and Sunny as well as their parents. We talk about Gizmo being annoyed that Sunny has crashed his space and stolen one of today’s fish meals. We wonder if the parents are eagerly awaiting Gizmo’s departure or Sunny’s return. We enjoy watching the two of them together again. Perhaps because in at least a few ways, Sunny and Gizmo appear like my two teenagers—independent and eager to fly in their own direction but also content to hang out in the next and have Jackie or Shadow bring in dinner. Of course, we’ve learned that even after they leave the nest, fledged eaglets need their parents to provide food and teach them the skills necessary to hunt and protect themselves in the world; much like human teenagers and young adults. I don’t know about Jackie and Shadow and their kids, but this mama is pretty content to hang out with her teenagers for as long as they choose to hang out here.