Latest news with #baldEagles
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Timmy Mallett's a joy to follow online
After reading your article (This livestream of baby bald eagles is the only thing keeping me sane, 27 May), I thought I'd share my recent rediscovery of Timmy Mallett. I found his bubbly personality a bit much for a Saturday morning as a child, but his posts on Facebook and other platforms about his cycle tour of Ireland are a brilliant break from the online doom and MaddisonMoy, County Galway, Ireland Jane Tranter says 'an audience will not be able to take their eyes off these strange curls or weird hats' ('Not everybody spoke posh' in Jane Austen's era, says top producer, 27 May). Audiences routinely cope with talking animals, space aliens and even men with the head of an ass. We can cope with a NicolOrmiston, East Lothian How wonderful to read about the new V&A East Storehouse (28 May) – another 'national' museum in London, sucking up £65m of funding when dozens of museums outside the capital are facing extinction due to lack of it. Norman MillerBrighton Please inform Paul, my favourite crossword setter, that there is no reason why Quakers should not drink alcohol (Cryptic crossword, 30 May), and some of us do – in moderation, of course!Frank CosgrovePresteigne, Powys Euan Dunn disputes a crossword clue, 'Fuzzy green foodstuff – that flies!', that had the solution 'Kiwi' (Letters, 28 May). Has he never heard that fruit flies like a kiwi? Bill McGinleyChester Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Sister act: Big Bear bald eaglets Sunny and Gizmo are both female
After nearly three months of speculation, the experts have weighed in: Both eaglets at the Big Bear bald eagle nest are female. Sunny and Gizmo are sisters, according to the organizations that operates the world-famous 24-hour camera feed of the nest near Big Bear Lake. "Peaceful, loving sisters," added Friends of Big Bear Valley Executive Director Sandy Steers. The naturalists announced last week that Gizmo was believed to be female, but Sunny's sex remained unclear until Saturday. "After much observation and some fairly definitive vocal frequency analysis, we believe that even though Sunny, as the older one, is now smaller than Gizmo, she is also female," Steers said in an update posted to social media. Despite being four days younger, Gizmo has outgrown Sunny in size. Although now the smaller of the siblings, Sunny has led the way when it comes to exploring the branches surrounding the nest and experimenting with flight. More: Fledge watch: Big Bear bald eaglets Sunny and Gizmo prepare to take first flights She was seen taking to the air for a 3-second-long hover above the nest for the first time on Thursday. Her flight testing grew bolder and Friday, when she was again spotted hovering above the nest and spreading her wings into the wind. Bald eaglets generally leave the nest, or fledge, at 10 to 14 weeks of age, experts said. At 12 weeks old, Sunny and Gizmo could each be ready to make their first flights away from the nest any time now. But they won't immediately become strangers. Eaglets tend to remain close to their nests for a month or two as they develop the skills they will need to survive on their own. They young predators will then head out to establish their own homes, potentially hundreds or thousands of miles away from Big Bear. They still have a long journey ahead of them, as bald eagles mature at a slow rate. Sunny and Gizmo aren't expected to develop their iconic white heads, like their parents Jackie and Shadow, until they reach 4 or 5 years old. More information on the Big Bear bald eagles and the Friends of Big Bear Valley is available on the organizations website at This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Sister act: Big Bear bald eaglets Sunny and Gizmo are both female
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Big Bear eaglets Sunny and Gizmo believed to be sisters, says wildlife organization
After revealing the gender of one of the eaglets last week, wildlife organization Friends of Big Bear Valley announced that Sunny and Gizmo are sisters. Big News…after much observation and some fairly definitive vocal frequency analysis, we believe that even though Sunny, as the older one, is now smaller than Gizmo, she is also female," wrote Sandy Steers, a biologist and the Executive Director of Friends of Big Bear Valley. "So, Sunny and Gizmo are sisters! Peaceful, loving sisters." After being born in March, the two birds have captured the eyes of thousands across the nation as they prepare for their first flight. "They've been practicing bouncing up and down with their little wings," Steers said. "They're big wings now." Sonny and Gizmo, the eaglets of beloved Big Bear bald eagles Jackie and Shadow. Friends of Big Bear Valley/YouTube Sunny had her first hover experience on Friday, clearing the surface of their nest for 3.3 seconds. Once they embark on their maiden flight, Sunny and Gizmo will continue to live with their parents, Jackie and Shadow. The full-grown eagles will follow their children around for at least three months before becoming empty nesters. "Once they get, I guess full of knowing, think they know what they're doing, they take off," she said. "They usually travel around to meet other eagles." The Big Bear bald eagle family can be observed 24/7 via a webcam hosted by the Friends of Big Bear Valley on YouTube. Steers also documents the eagles on live cameras on the Friends of Big Bear Valley website.
The Guardian
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
This livestream of baby bald eagles is the only thing keeping me sane
The internet is an unpleasant place, full of grim headlines, misinformation and social media content designed to make you feel ugly and unsuccessful. But there are good bits too. Take Jackie and Shadow, a happy couple who live in a home with breathtaking views of Big Bear Lake in San Bernardino county, California. They currently have two children, Sunny and Gizmo, who are preparing to leave home and make their own way in the world. They are, in many ways, the purest embodiment of the modern American dream: reality stars, and also bald eagles. The family has been on camera since October 2015, when the environmental non-profit group Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV) started a live stream of the nest. For years, fans have watched live as the eagles share meals (mostly fish), relax and tease each other. Sometimes Shadow nips at Jackie's tail or wing 'to get a response out of her', says Sandy Steers, the executive director of FOBBV. 'It's hilarious.' The eagle cam was Steers's idea. She started watching the nest years ago, though from the ground, back when it was still occupied by Jackie's parents, Ricky and Lucy. 'I got to watch Jackie grow up through a spotting scope, and it completely hooked me,' she says. Over the years, the feed's numbers have soared like a majestic bird of prey. The YouTube page has more than 638,000 subscribers, and as I write this, 46,000 people are watching with me. Multiple news outlets have referred to the eagles as 'celebrities'. And there's merch: FOBBV sells Shadow and Jackie plushies ($30), tote bags ($20) and sweatshirts ($45). 'I think what draws people is that nature is fascinating, and most of us haven't really had the chance to sit and study it,' Steers says. 'It connects people with themselves and their emotions.' The emotions these eagles elicit seem to be pleasant. Besides the birds, the page includes another wonder of the natural world: a wholesome comment section. 'Love you Jackie, Shadow, Sunny, and Gizmo, you're in my heart forever!' one fan writes in the live chat. 'What gets me through the day is to watch this beautiful family thrive,' writes another. The eagles inspire such fervent adoration because of their personalities, says Steers. 'Jackie is serious and she's the boss, absolutely,' she explains. 'Shadow knows all of Jackie's rules, and at the same time, he's independent.' Jackie and Shadow's love is the stuff of romcoms. After Rick and Lucy left, Jackie occupied the nest with her first partner, Mr B. In 2018, they had two chicks, but only one survived. That summer another eagle appeared – a charming, impish and stubborn young man who began hanging around the nest and wouldn't leave no matter how much Mr. B snapped at him. Eventually, Mr B gave up and left. Don't bald eagles mate for life? 'For the most part, but apparently not always,' says Steers. Sign up to Well Actually Practical advice, expert insights and answers to your questions about how to live a good life after newsletter promotion Now, the family is mostly settled. Sunny and Gizmo are the couple's fifth and sixth offspring. The Eagle Log, which is run by FOBBV members and posts regular updates on the nest, recently confirmed Gizmo is a girl, based on her overall size, behavior and 'obsession with food'. The jury is still out on Sunny's sex, but the group hopes to have more clarity in the next couple of days. At eleven weeks old, the eaglets are almost ready to fly, and a 'fledge watch' is under way as fans eagerly wait to see them take to the skies. 'They don't look quite ready to me,' says Steers. 'But maybe that's just me hoping they stay longer.' I first heard about the eagle cam years ago from a friend, and ever since Gizmo and Sunny first hatched back in March (they're both Pisces), I've kept the live stream open in a tab on my computer. Between work tasks, I click over to see how my feathered pals are doing. It's become a happy break for me. I've watched Sunny and Gizmo grow from tiny balls of gray fuzz into big glorious raptors with razor sharp beaks and claws. I've seen Jackie feed the eaglets tiny bits of fish, and watched Gizmo hop in the air and practice flying ('We call that 'wingercising,'' says Steers). Sometimes the feed is quiet – perhaps the kids are napping and Jackie and Shadow are out hunting . I enjoy the serenity of the trees swaying in the wind and the lake's glitter too. As Steers wrote in a recent post in the Eagle Log: 'Sometimes a quiet, observant, appreciative loving day is simply essential to the joy of living for all beings.'
CBS News
09-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Big Bear eaglets getting ready to fly from nest for first time, wildlife organization says
Big Bear eaglets getting ready to fly from nest for first time, wildlife organization says Big Bear eaglets getting ready to fly from nest for first time, wildlife organization says Big Bear eaglets getting ready to fly from nest for first time, wildlife organization says The Big Bear eaglets will soon be ready to stretch their wings and fly from their parents' nest in coming weeks, an exciting but nerve wracking experience for those who have grown attention to the beloved bald eagle family. Sunny and Gizmo only turn 10-weeks old-next week, but they're already getting ready to fledge, or fly for the first time. They were born in March, much to the delight of thousands across the nation anxiously waiting to see if the eggs would make it through the winter. "They've been practicing bouncing up and down with their little wings," said Sandy Steers, a biologist and the Executive Director of Friends of Big Bear Valley. "They're big wings now." Sonny and Gizmo, the eaglets of beloved Big Bear bald eagles Jackie and Shadow. Friends of Big Bear Valley/YouTube She says that though they make look small on the live camera, which feeds from the eagles' nest 24/7 thanks to the wildlife organization's YouTube channel. "Pretty soon they'll move out onto the limbs and practice it and make all the viewers nervous, because they'll be afraid they'll fall off," Steers said. Though a little worry, she says they won't fall. After taking flight for the first time, Sunny and Gizmo will still hang around the nest for a while, and that their parents Jackie and Shadow will continue to follow them around for at least three months to continue watching over them. "Once they get, I guess full of knowing, think they know what they're doing, they take off," she said. "They usually travel around to meet other eagles." Within five years, they'll find a mate, hunker down and start their own families, though it's unclear exactly where that may be. Fledges from Southern California have been tracked as far north as Canada and as far east as Yellowstone.
