Jackie and Shadow’s eaglet Luna takes his 1st flight; sister Sandy spotted 1 day after fall from Big Bear nest

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. () — After a heart-stopping moment over the weekend, there are two pieces of good news from the beloved Big Bear bald eagle nest! Eaglet Luna took a leap of faith and fledged on Monday morning, meaning Jackie and Shadow are officially empty nesters.

In another positive update, Luna’s eaglet sister, Sandy, was spotted on Monday, one day after she accidentally fledged and fell out of the nest.

According to Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that operates the live camera on the nest, Luna flew out of the nest at 9:24 a.m. The nonprofit said his dad, Shadow, was waiting for him in a neighboring tree.

On Sunday, Sandy fell out of the nest in an accidental fledge. She appeared to be startled by Luna as he attempted to jump over her. Sandy then lost her footing, falling out of the nest in an accidental fledge, or a “fludge.”

Friends of Big Bear Valley said that Sandy appeared to be on another branch below on Sunday, getting her bearings out of the camera’s view. Her mother, Jackie, was there right away to keep an eye on Sandy and has been through this with other eaglets in the past.

In an update on Monday, conservationists with the nonprofit said they heard some distant vocals between Jackie and what they believe is Sandy. Then, in a later update, Friends of Big Bear Valley posted a video showing that Sandy was spotted not too far from Luna, midway up in a tree. They said she was moving around and looking good.

For previous eaglets of Jackie and Shadow, it was common for them to come back to the nest to eat, sleep and hang out, though there is no guarantee that Sandy and Luna will return home after fledging. Even if they don’t, Jackie and Shadow will likely follow them wherever they go to make sure they are fed and taken care of.

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