Jackie and Shadow’s young eagle left nest on own months ago. See her return
.png "Gizmo is seen in the nest Aug. 28 overlooking Big Bear Lake, California.")
Beloved bald eagles Jackie and Shadow had a busy year raising two eaglets in Southern California.
Their young eagles, Sunny and Gizmo, have since learned how to fly and have left the nest overlooking Big Bear Lake, according to the Friends of Big Bear Valley.
Then a familiar face appeared on the eagle camera Aug. 28, the nonprofit’s Executive Director Sandy Steers said in a Facebook post.
“This juvenile, when seen from up close in the nest showed multiple distinguishing signs that it could be Gizmo!” Steers wrote.
Gizmo fledged June 7 but didn’t leave the nest right away.
For weeks, the two sisters practiced flying. Sunny and Gizmo would soar off into the sky, then return for dinner and sit together on a nearby branch.
By the end of June, the two were seen returning to the nest less and less until one day, they were on their own, the nonprofit said.
It was a nice surprise for viewers when an eagle that appeared to be Gizmo was spotted taking a look around the nest.
Although it’s impossible to determine if the eagle was the same as Gizmo, it had a similar beak and feather gap.
“It was either Gizmo, or a whole lot of weird coincidences,” Steers said in the post.
“We can all celebrate these gorgeous visits, even if there are no guarantees!” Steers said.
Big Bear Lake is about a 95-mile drive northeast from Los Angeles.
This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 11:54 AM with the headline "Jackie and Shadow’s young eagle left nest on own months ago. See her return."
