BIG BEAR CITY, Calif., June 29 (Our Hesperia) — One of Big Bear’s closely watched bald eaglets, Sandy, slipped from the nest Sunday morning in what Friends of Big Bear Valley described as an accidental fledging, or “fludge,” while the nonprofit kept tracking the chick through its live camera in California.
Friends of Big Bear Valley said Sandy lost her footing while flapping near the nest’s outer branch and dropped to lower branches before moving out of the camera’s view. The organization later said Sandy appeared to be on another branch or in another tree and likely was getting her bearings or resting.
Media manager Jenny Voisard said the group saw footage of Sandy flying to another tree and had not yet picked her up. Friends of Big Bear Valley also said Jackie, Sandy’s mother, was nearby after the fall and that Jackie and Shadow would continue to follow and feed their chick.
Sandy and her sibling Luna hatched in early April and were about 12 weeks old, an age when young bald eagles typically begin fledging. Friends of Big Bear Valley said its camera operators were still searching for Sandy after the incident.
