Letters to the Editor: Big Bear’s famous eaglets have won our readers’ hearts, and they want more

To the editor: Now that Sunny and Gizmo have piqued our interest for the last few months, the eaglets are preparing to leave the nest and their parents, Jackie and Shadow (“Big Bear eaglets get ready to fly: See how they’ve grown,” May 13). Perhaps the two young eagles, after being in the limelight with their own webcam reality show, are getting weary of celebrity status and just crave some alone time.

Once they’re away, Jackie and Shadow will be empty nesters with ample room for a boarder to help with rent, or they could start the whole process over again with a new family. Should they choose the family scenario, will they let us humans eavesdrop on their lives again? I hope so.

Bill Spitalnick, Newport Beach

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To the editor: As many bemoan the grave loss of a multitude of bird species due to habitat issues, pollution and pesticide use, it is beyond joyful to have something to celebrate with the Big Bear eaglets. It also marks a hard-won victory for the parents, as Jackie and Shadow have had a few grave disappointments and we’ve suffered with them in witnessing the sorrows of losing previous chicks.

It is interesting to learn that the parents will, for a while, sometimes fly along with the eaglets to help them learn how to find food, and that a juvenile bald eagle has less than a 50% chance of surviving its first year of life. Oh, how fragile life is for a wild creature, and this our species must recognize and respect.

Elaine Livesey-Fassel, Los Angeles

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To the editor: I would like to commend the L.A. Times for continuing with the marvelous updates on our local eagle family. It brightens my life to watch them grow, and I hope that when the chicks fledge, they stay close to home and help build the population of bald eagles.

Diane Thompson, Garden Grove