Celebrity eaglets growing up fast as internet watches on: Meet Sunny and Gizmo
Sunny and Gizmo have only been alive for a few weeks but have already garnered quite a few fans.
The bald eaglet siblings, unbeknownst to them, have become a bright spot in the lives of many people online since they hatched last month.
Friends of Big Bear Valley, a non-profit organization that runs a 24-hour live feed to monitor local eagles, has given the world the ability to watch beloved eagle couple Jackie and Shadow raise their young in real time. And people are eating it up.
The pair (and their parents) were thrust into the limelight shortly after they were born, with fans regularly posting new photos and interesting snippets from the YouTube livestream on social media. Jackie and Shadow, though, have been internet famous since 2018, three years after the group set up the webcam in San Bernardino National Forest.
Friends of Big Bear Valley also regularly shares details about the family's activities to an audience of more than one million users. Just last week, the group shared some tips on how to tell Sunny and Gizmo apart, complete with a photo illustration identifying both of the chicks at different angles.
" I think it's wonderful that we get the opportunity to see what nature can do and, you know, show us all the possibilities,” Sandy Steers, executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, told LAist in a recent interview.
Who are Sunny and Gizmo?
Sunny and Gizmo were two (of three) hatchlings born to Jackie and Shadow in March 2025. The third eaglet, named Misty in honor of a former volunteer, died after a snowstorm hit the area.
Sunny, who is approximately seven weeks old, and Gizmo will take their first flight away from the nest in a few weeks, LAist reported.
“Wherever they are, Jackie and Shadow will be following them around, feeding them and bringing them food and making sure that they learn how to get food on their own,” Steers told LAist.
After the pair have gotten a handle on feeding and the whole flying thing, they will be able to take off and see the world, according to LAist.
Internet watches Sunny, Gizmo grow up
Any cute, or potentially interesting, move made by any member of the bald eagle family has and will continue to be documented by fans. Naturally, the focus right now is on Sunny and Gizmo.
Most of the fans are just in awe of the cuteness. Others, who know the Jackie and Shadow's progeny lore, check in and offer prayers in the hope that the eaglets are healthy enough to survive any adverse weather conditions that may pop up.
Here's a look at some of the recent comments (or fan art) made about Sunny and Gizmo shared to social media.
Contributing: James Powel, Paste BN