Sandy and Luna are working on important skills in the nest.
, and now, they’re practicing some vital grownup skills. Sandy and Luna can be seen engaged in lively wing-flapping sessions. While it might look a little awkward, the movement helps the chicks develop their pectoral muscles, an essential step in learning to fly.
“It helps them learn the ‘wingspan’ of their own bodies so they don’t hit the nest walls or their siblings,”, the non-profit group that maintains the eagles’ livestream, explains. But don’t expect them to fly away anytime soon. The chicks are only about six weeks old and fledging won’t happen until 10-14 weeks of age. Last year,Viewers might also notice the pair stomping around their nest.
Again, the eaglets aren’t exactly graceful, but this behavior is important. Bald eagles are raptors, or birds of prey, so learning how to hunt is essential to long-term survival.
“This is an instinctual behavior to ‘pin’ prey down,” FOBBV explains. “Because they are top-heavy at this age, stomping helps them find their center of gravity as their legs grow longer and stronger.
” Although, yes, they do occasionally stomp on each other’s toes.two of their eggs were destroyed by ravens Chick 1 hatched on April 4 at 9:33 p.m. PDT, while Chick 2 followed on April 5 at 8:30 a.m. Their large nest in Big Bear Valley east of Los Angeles is livestreamed 24 hours a day by nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley and has captivated millions. Before leaving the nest, the chicks face threats from other birds of prey, including hawks, ravens, other eagles, and owls.
Inclement weather can also present challenges for the chicks. In 2025, a March snowstorm resulted in the death of one of Jackie and Shadow’s three chicks. During fledging, only 70 percent of eaglets survive. One of the greatest threats is from cars that can injure or kill the birds while they scavenge for food on roadkill.
The pair first got together in 2018 and successfully raised chicks in 2019 and 2022. However, their eggs failed to hatch in 2023 and 2024. Only 50 percent of eagle eggs successfully hatch, so this pair has already beaten the odds.that all hatched in early March. On March 13, a strong snowstorm dumped up to two feet of snow and battered the nest with strong winds.
Only two of the chicks were visible on the live cam when the storm passed by the next morning. FOBBV later confirmed the passing of one of the chicks. The two surviving chicks were later–or leave the nest and fly–when they can flatten their wings and have feathers capable of flight.
This typically occurs when the birds hitfledglings from Southern California have been spotted as far south as Baja California, as far north as British Columbia, and as far east as Yellowstone National Park.of bald eagles survive the fledgling stage. FOBBV does not tag their eagles, so it’s not possible to follow the chicks’ journeys after they flee the nest.
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