Rachael Turner

05/09/2026

HESE LITTLE FEET ARE NOT SO LITTLE ANYMORE… 🦅👣🪺
Now this is a close-up that tells a whole story without showing a single full face.
Just look at those powerful yellow feet and those sharp black talons pressed into the nest. A few weeks ago, Sandy and Luna were tiny fluff balls barely holding themselves up… and now their feet look like serious eagle equipment. 😂🦅
This picture is not just cute — it is amazing.
Those big feet are their future tools.
They will help them balance on branches.
Grip the nest rails.
Hold food.
Practice standing stronger.
And one day, help them land like real Big Bear eagles. 🪶✨
Right now, they still look a little oversized for their fluffy bodies, like nature gave them the “adult eagle starter kit” before the rest of them finished loading. 😂 But that is exactly what makes this stage so special. Their bodies are growing fast, their feathers are changing, and every little detail is starting to show us what they are becoming.
The nest floor in this photo is full of soft grasses, feathers, sticks, and little pieces of home. And right in the middle of it all are those feet — planted, gripping, learning, strengthening. It feels like a quiet behind-the-scenes look at the work of growing up.
Not every milestone is a big wing stretch.
Not every special moment is a feeding.
Sometimes the real story is down in the nest bowl, where little talons are learning how to hold on. 🥹🪺
And honestly, these feet deserve their own spotlight. Those claws already look fierce! Sandy and Luna may still have baby fluff, sleepy naps, and funny little faces… but these talons are giving full “future sky ruler” energy. 👑🦅
One day, these same feet will grip a high branch.
One day, they will stand tall at the edge of the nest.
One day, they will help carry the confidence of young eagles ready for the next chapter.
But today, they are still here in the nest — surrounded by family, feathers, sticks, and all the love and effort Jackie and Shadow have poured into raising them.
Tiny babies grow quietly…
but these feet are loudly saying:
“We are getting ready.” 🦅❤️
What do you notice first in this close-up — those giant yellow feet, the sharp talons, or the little feather fluff caught in the nest? 😂👣
Credit: Courtesy of FOBBV, Friends of Big Bear Valley, and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam.

05/09/2026

Best Shot In 1000 try

05/09/2026

Before the altitude…
before the power…
before the storms…

There was a nest,
two young eyes,
and the instinct to grow stronger.

05/09/2026

05/09/2026

Happy 100th Birthday to one of my role models, Sir David Attenborough. Thank you, Sir, for sharing your knowledge and working hard for so many decades to try to teach mankind how to better treat our shared planet. Happy 100th Birthday!! #100

05/08/2026

Two Faces, One Future… Sandy and Luna Are Starting to Look Like EAGLES 🦅🪺✨
This close-up is absolutely stunning.
Look at these two — sitting so close together, side by side, almost cheek to cheek, and both looking out with those big, bright, serious eyes. This is not the tiny cotton-ball stage anymore. This is the stage where you look at them and suddenly realize…
Oh wow… they are changing fast. Really fast. 🥹
Their faces are sharper now.
Their beaks look stronger.
Their eyes are more focused.
Their darker feathers are filling in beautifully.
And that soft baby fluff is slowly giving way to the young eagle look that has been hiding underneath all along. 🦅💛
The eaglet in front has that wide-eyed, curious look — almost like it is studying everything around the nest and trying to understand this big world piece by piece. The sibling tucked behind is just as alert, peeking from the side with that calm but watchful expression. Together, they look like a little team: one in front, one behind, both learning, both growing, both changing right before our eyes.
There is something so sweet about how close they are here. No big wing drama, no food rush, no loud chaos — just two siblings sharing space in the nest, leaning into this growing-up journey together. They have gone from tiny bobbleheads to strong little characters with faces we are starting to recognize and personalities we are starting to love. ❤️
And honestly, this photo feels like a little preview of the future.
One day, those eyes will scan the sky from a branch.
One day, those beaks will belong to independent young eagles.
One day, those soft feathers will be replaced with stronger flight feathers.
One day, these two will not be tucked close in the nest like this anymore.
But today… they still are.
Still close.
Still young.
Still fluffy in all the sweetest places.
Still safe in the nest Jackie and Shadow built and protected with so much devotion. 🪺
That is why moments like this feel so precious. They remind us that growing up does not happen all at once. It happens in tiny details — the shape of a face, the shine in an eye, the strength of a beak, the new feathers coming in, the way they sit taller than yesterday.
Sandy and Luna are not just getting bigger.
They are becoming themselves.
Two little faces.
Two beautiful futures.
One unforgettable Big Bear story unfolding feather by feather. 🦅✨
What do you notice first in this close-up — those bright serious eyes, the stronger beaks, or the way they are starting to look so grown already? 👀❤️
Credit: Courtesy of FOBBV, Friends of Big Bear Valley, and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam.

05/08/2026

THE NEST HAS OFFICIALLY BECOME A WING-STRETCHING GYM 🦅🪺🔥
This is one of those photos where you can almost hear the nest saying, “Make room… the babies are growing!” 😂
Look at that big wing stretch in the front — one eaglet standing tall, wings lifted high, testing balance, testing strength, and maybe testing everyone’s patience in the nest too. Those wings are not tiny anymore. They are getting longer, stronger, darker, and more serious every day. The baby fluff is still there, but the future eagle is clearly starting to take over. 🦅✨
And then on the right, the other eaglet looks like it is busy with its own little project — head down, body tucked, maybe preening, maybe rearranging itself, maybe just thinking, “You do your wing show… I’m working on my look.” 😂🪶
This is the beautiful chaos of this stage.
One baby is stretching like a future sky ruler.
One baby is doing nest business.
The sticks are everywhere.
The feathers are flying.
And Big Bear Lake is shining in the background like the perfect reminder of where all this practice is leading. 🥹💛
Every wing stretch matters now. Every stand, every wobble, every little flap is part of their training. They are learning how to control those growing bodies, how to balance on those huge yellow feet, how to make space for themselves in the nest, and how to slowly prepare for the day when the wind becomes part of their story.
It is funny to watch because they still look awkward and fluffy… but it is also emotional because we know what this means.
They are not the tiny bobbleheads anymore.
They are not just sleeping in the nest bowl anymore.
They are practicing.
They are building strength.
They are becoming young eagles right in front of us. 🪺❤️
One day, these wings will not just stretch inside the nest.
One day, they will open over Big Bear.
One day, those wobbly practice moves will turn into real confidence.
One day, this exact stage will feel like a memory we wish we could watch all over again.
But today, we still get the best part — the funny, messy, powerful middle chapter. The chapter where growing up looks like giant wings, big feet, loose fluff, sibling interruptions, and a nest that suddenly feels smaller every single day. 😂🦅
What do you think was happening here — serious wing practice, a full nest workout, or one eaglet showing off while the other said, “I’m busy”? 💬
Credit: Courtesy of FOBBV, Friends of Big Bear Valley, and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam.

05/08/2026

Power isn’t loud.

Sometimes it’s silent wings
rising through chaos
without fear.

05/08/2026

Some views only belong to those willing to fly higher.

The eagle understands what most never will:
freedom always comes with altitude.

05/08/2026

Not an easy Shot