Southwest Florida Eagle Cam has been livestreaming an intimate view of a North Fort Myers eagle’s nest since 2012. Originating with breeding eagle pair Harriet and Ozzie, hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide have been following the nest and falling in love with the eagle family. Now, all eyes are on the current breeding pair of Harriet and mate M15.
The 2022-2023 season is the 11th season Dick Pritchett Real Estate has provided the live look into this Southwest Florida Bald Eagle nest. Four cameras are used to stream the birds 24/7 live.
Harriet and M15 successfully rebuilt their nest after it was destroyed by Hurricane Ian, and delighted Eagle Cam fans by welcoming two eaglets, E21 and E22 in January.
But the unexplained disappearance of Harriet earlier this month leaves all the parenting to M15, and over 190 million Southwest Eagle Cam viewers concerned for the nest.
Reports of food being left at the nest site by unknown persons continue despite warnings that it is illegal to do so and negatively impacts the raptor’s health.
An initial investigation into feeding activities at the nest was being conducted by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission (FWC). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the issue at play involved "a behavior mitigation issue" and they were working with the FWC.
Delivery services reportedly being used to bring food to Harriet and M15's North Fort Myers nest
Bald eagles are protected by both the FWC and the USFWS. Feeding bald eagles is specifically prohibited.
With just about four weeks left until potentially seeing E21 and E 22's first flight, Virginia Pritchett McSpadden, co-founder of the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam web site, joins us with an update on the eaglets, how M15 is fairing as a solo parent, and shares her thoughts on the future of the nest without Harriet.
And Mike Braun, Managing Editor at WGCU, who has been reporting on the lives of Harriet and M15 for almost a decade, shares his recent reporting and past memories of the nest.
The theme of this year’s Bald Eagle nesting season in Florida was most certainly resilience. End-of-season data compiled by the Audubon EagleWatch Program found 148 nests lost due to Hurricane Ian in September, 2022.
Typically, when an eagle pair loses a nest, they rebuild in another suitable tree. In the storm’s path, however, suitable trees were also lost. With few other options, many eagle pairs rebuilt their nests in spindly, bare branch trees or man-made structures. Roughly 70 percent of the eagle pairs that lost their nests were able to rebuild, despite massive tree loss.
From those rebuilt nests, more than 100 chicks have fledged, including eaglets E21 and E22 of the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam nest.
Shawnlei Breeding, Audubon’s EagleWatch Program Manager, and Managing Editor at WGCU, Mike Braun, join us to explore our fascination with the iconic birds and how bald eagles are able to endure Florida’s ever-changing landscape.
About the EagleWatch Program
As one of the premier community science programs in Florida, EagleWatch works to protect approximately 40% of the state's nesting pairs.
The Audubon EagleWatch Program has over 600 dedicated volunteers currently monitoring more than 1000 eagle nests in Florida. Today the program reaches many communities statewide, providing awareness of eagle nesting activities and conservation efforts for this iconic species.
Become an EagleWatch Volunteer: Click here to receive information on joining our team.
Main objectives of the EagleWatch program
- Compile data for publication of urban nesting activity.
- Emphasize monitoring of urban pairs to record long-term nesting trends.
- Identify potential threats to nesting success caused directly or indirectly by human activity.
- Expand Audubon EagleWatch on statewide and generate increased public awareness of our national symbol.
- Educate the community about Bald Eagles and their current threats.
- Assist with the rescue and transport of downed eagles due to accidents or as a result of storms.
