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Feathers are growing
M and F continue with their stay vacation visiting the nest every few days. All is well at the pasture.
they are getting huge.
Inbreeding would have the consequence of a negative effect on the offspring. The Eagle's main aim is survival and propagation.
Eagles are know for their strong pair bonding and monogamous breeding behavior. Once a pair bonds it is usually for life.
Beakee kisses
icoming Jackie
Sunny stand tall next to Shadow and has mom's big feet.
F on the nest- good nestorations.
M to the nest
The Hancock Forum for SWFEC Season 13 will be closed tomorrow, 4/27/25.
Even though the season ended in the terrible events of E24 and E25 passing
from the avian flu, they deserve to be remembered for the days they lived and flourished
and all the joy they gave to so many. I am so relieved that M15 and F23 were
strong enough to survive and to continue on hopefully for Season 14, God willing.
Thank you to everyone that contributed to the forum.
It is very important to me that the story is told about this special nest.
Special thanks to David Hancock, Judy B, and Mary F for this opportunity.
Thanks to Lady Hawk and Androcat for all the great videos and also to Androcat
for all your support in keeping me grounded and answering my questions.
I have reviewed all my screen captures of this season and have completed my collages
for the year. I hope you enjoy them. Please feel free to save for your own personal use.
All pics have been cropped and are property of SWFEC.
Dec 2024
This morning the sun shines again.
Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam
Nest Cam
Sunny is 62 days old, Gizmo is 58 days old. Sunny ventured to the Back Porch today and officially branched at 62 days,. The Back Porch provides an easier, walk on access. The Front porch is harder to access as it requires jumping down. How To Tell Sunny And Gizmo Apart? Tip #1 Heads: Gizmo's gape (the yellow corner of the mouth) is more orange in color with a thicker lower "lip". This gives them the whimsical "Mona Lisa smile". Sunny's gape is not curved; it mostly appears as a straight line. Tip #2 Tails: Sunny has a longer tail due to being 4 days older. Also, on Sunny's tail you can notice the beginnings of the "whitewash". Gizmo's tail is shorter and mostly black (for now). 🐥Misty hatched 3/3 23:26 | Sunny hatched 3/4 4:29 | Gizmo hatched 3/8 before 6:13 🐥Misty, who sadly passed away during a winter storm after 3/13/2025, was named in honor of Kathi Misterly, a very dedicated FOBBV volunteer who was lost to cancer and is still very missed.💔 ℹResident Bald Eagle male: Shadow (unbanded) since May 2018. Estimated hatch year: 2014 ℹResident Bald Eagle female: Jackie (unbanded) since September 2016. Estimated hatch year: 2012
Sunny is 66 days old, Gizmo is 62 days old. ✈️Fledge watch begins 5/13! Eaglets have a very wide fledge window - 10-14 weeks. It is a wait and see who fledges first and when. We may have to wait several weeks. No rush, Sunny & Gizmo!🤗 Sunny branched to the BP on 5/5, Gizmo branched to the BP on 5/9.
SWFEC banner reports "5-11. Happy Mother's Day. No Eagles in view. 8:16am the outer attic branch has fallen from the nest tree. The main attic branch is attached it cracked more and dropped down. The nest looks ok. " It was a beautiful sunrise at the nest this morning to celebrate Mother's Day! However, at 08:16am the nest tree outer attic branch broke off and fell to the ground. The attic branch also breaks and is hanging down (still attached) to the nest tree but is compromised. These two branches were the mainstay perches for Harriet and Ozzie, Harriet & M15 and M15 & F23. Also they were the main branches that eaglets would branch to and also fledge from over the years. The branches became compromised from Hurricane Ian and other hurricanes over the recent years. I included video of the outer attic branch breaking off plus SWFEC diagrams of the location and nest tree branch names. Included are photos taken today from Barb Henry Photography & MLiz Photos showing the before & after photos of the branch breaking off. At the end of the video I included photos of Harriet and M15 with E19 & E20 on these very branches to show how much they were utilized and will be missed! Timestamps are provided below. Wskrsnwings stated: "When the SWFEC cams first went live in 2012, we only had one cam. And that was the nest cam which was a fixed cam. When we initially identified the branches the adults would sit on, we thought the outer attic branch was actually an extension of the main attic branch. And then a year or two later we realized the outer attic and attic branches were actually separate branches, but they were rubbing against each other. The outer attic branch actually originated from a lower branch in the nest tree. Over the seasons we realized that some of the branches had cracks, and eventually the outer attic branch cracked enough to make it bend. But it still held close to the main attic branch. This morning, the outer attic branch cracked the rest of the way pushing/pulling the main attic branch down and out in front of the nest tree. So the main attic branch is still attached to the main trunk but the outer attic branch broke away from its originating lower branch (under the nest) and fell to the ground."
A Fishy "Tail"
A fishy ‘tail’…
In spite of the giant stick rails that Shadow and especially Jackie have been putting up, Gizmo and Sunny have both been hanging out closer and closer to the edges of the nest, as they did yesterday morning.
When Shadow brought a big fish for them, Gizmo rushed in to grab it and carried it off to claim it with both feet. When no one bothered Gizmo about the fish, Gizmo dragged it to the center of the nest…so, of course, Sunny soon ran over to steal it…and after a short tug-of-fish, did just that…
…then Gizmo stole it back…and then Sunny did the same thing.
Next, Gizmo pretended to share the eating, but instead tried to steal it back, even grabbing Sunny’s foot to pull it off the fish. When that didn’t work, Gizmo circled around the other way and pulled the fish right away from Sunny.
Sunny went away and let Gizmo eat…for a short time. But soon Sunny ran back and pulled the fish into a tugging game that Sunny won. This time, rather than risk any more stealing, Sunny swallowed the rest of the fish whole. So, there. That settled everything.
Later, while Gizmo kept an eye on Jackie on the front porch, curiosity captured Sunny. Standing on the back porch, Sunny got fascinated by looking into the camera lens—most likely Sunny’s own reflection in the dome.
The whole family had some nice afternoon togetherness. With Jackie and Shadow on the front porch keeping guard—and Jackie showing off her newly white striped wing!—Gizmo laid around admiring Sunny’s expert wingersizing.
But Gizmo got a turn to show off expert balancing on a big stick. Sunny kindly helped by biting and tugging on the stick to make the balancing more of a workout. Gizmo was determined to keep hold on the stick and quickly went back to the expert balancing show.
At this point, from the size compared to Shadow, the ankle size and general behavior, we are pretty sure that Gizmo is a girl.
Her obsession with food is also a sign. For Sunny, the jury is still out. With more observation and hopefully some vocalization that can be heard from Cam2, we hope to be more positive about Sunny’s gender in the next few days.
So, enjoy watching Gizmo and her sibling, Sunny!
Sandy
2025-05-20
Watching and waiting…
Shadow's second breakfish delivery on Monday morning was a real whopper! A huge trout that he had obviously already snacked on prior, since it was headless. The chicks ate as much as possible before Jackie showed up with a stick.
Since the half-eaten fish was resting there, and the chicks weren't eating, Jackie's eyes zeroed in on it. Well, the nest needed cleaning so she ate a few bites and then down the hatch it went… tail and all! Sunny witnessed it, perhaps hoping she'd feed them, but instead she just self-fed! Snooze you lose.
A while later, Gizmo found a small pine cone toy to play with that she clenched in her talons and happily danced around with while Sunny looked on. She carried it up to show it to Sunny on the back porch rails, but apparently it fell from her beak. They searched but her new toy must have fallen overboard.
Jackie brought a third fish which Sunny certainly wasn't missing out on this time… and Jackie knew it. Sunny claimed it and Gizmo tried to get a bite but it was too late… down the hatch! Geez! Gizmo threw a stomp and winger fit about it. When she finished her tantrum, she gave Sunny the eagle eye then perched across the nest with her back to Sunny.
Sunny decided not to waste any more time and ventured farther up onto the back porch branches. Go Sunny! Shadow was perched on the front porch when Jackie hauled in fish number 4. However, since she was coming in hot, Shadow had to think on his toes so he dove over to the next branch, narrowly missing a collision with his loving mate or being clobbered by a cold wet fish! Good work Shadow!
Both chicks cooled off in the afternoon, Sunny laying down and Gizmo sitting in the horaltic pose commonly used by bald eagles, where wings are held open down at their sides. Later, they shared a branch at sunset and had a perfect perch to view a lovely concert of local violet-green swallows, singing as they circled the nest tree. A perfect end to a full day!
BKind22