Southwest Florida Eagle Cam

Last updated
Harriet, the matriarch of the bald eagle nest in North Fort Myers, Florida, looking directly at the live-streaming webcam on January 21, 2017 Harriet bald eagle from SWFEC in 2017.jpg
Harriet, the matriarch of the bald eagle nest in North Fort Myers, Florida, looking directly at the live-streaming webcam on January 21, 2017

The Southwest Florida Eagle Cam (SWFEC) is a website and YouTube channel featuring live streaming webcams trained on a bald eagle nest, which sits 60 feet above the ground, in a slash pine tree in North Fort Myers, Florida. Live streaming, accompanied by explanatory commentary, shows the parent eagles and their family as they build and restore the nest, mate, lay eggs, and challenge the natural elements and predators in the area. SWFEC achieved a technological "world first" with its installation, in 2016, of a spherical virtual reality-enabled camera offering an immersive, interactive nature experience. [1] [2]

Contents

The website launched in September 2012 with one camera, set up by the Pritchett family, natives of southwest Florida, on the property of Dick Pritchett Real Estate. The aim was to let the viewing public observe the eagles in their natural habitat while getting an educational and learning experience. Today, the SWFEC has four cameras, monitored by dedicated volunteers, and is one of the most popular among dozens of bald-eagle nest webcam sites across America. Between 2012 and 2025, the SWFEC has received over 350 million views from more than 190 countries. [3]

Nest

This nest was labeled LE026-B of the Florida State Monitoring Program. It was monitored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) for six years. The first year was when the nest was across the street in 2007. The pair relocated the nest in 2006–2007 to its present location. The FWC officially stopped its intensive bald eagle monitoring program after the species' population recovered sufficiently to be removed from both the federal and state endangered species lists in 2007 [4] and 2008, [5] respectively. Since 2009, the volunteer-based Audubon EagleWatch [6] program has become the primary source of ongoing, on-the-ground nest monitoring in Florida.

The bald eagle builds the largest nest of any North American bird. A typical bald eagle nest (or eyrie) is around five feet in diameter. Eagles often use the same nest year after year. Over the years, some nests become enormous, over eight feet in diameter, weighing more than a ton. [7] A record-sized nest in St. Petersburg, Florida, was 9.5 feet in diameter and 20 feet tall. [8] The SWFEC nest is approximately eight feet in diameter and a short one-mile flight away from the Caloosahatchee River, which serves as their primary food source; a pond on the property serves as an additional source. The eagles rely mostly on fish from the river (Mullet, Catfish, Red Fish, Snook, Gar), but may also eat small rodents, such as squirrels, if the opportunity presents itself.

According to the FWC, which tracked bald eagle nests at the time when the SWFEC nest was home to its most famous residents, M15 and Harriet, the pair had 133 neighbors in a 25-mile radius; their closest neighbor was one mile away. [9]

Cameras

Source: [10]

To preserve the natural habitat of the eagles, the first nest-viewing camera was positioned six feet above the nest, attached to a tree limb, using no screws or nails. The noiseless camera also uses night vision (infrared light), allowing viewers to see eagles at night without disturbing them. Since the second season, an additional overhead, or approach, camera has provided a wider view of the area. Two more cameras have been added during later seasons.

Currently, the four cameras are located as follows: [1]

Volunteers monitoring the cameras have worked with wildlife officials and local biologists to ensure the eagle’s safety and will not interfere with or intervene in any natural events in the nest. [11] Extreme medical emergencies are handled by veterinary professionals.

The cameras stream live via the SWFEC website and YouTube channel.

How individual eagles are identified

Male and female eagles are easily distinguishable: female bald eagles are noticeably larger than their male counterparts, a phenomenon called reversed sexual dimorphism. [12] Individual eagles are distinguished from each other by "field marks" such as the size and line of the beak, the size of eye-rings, unique color patches, [9] and posture, as well as behavioral cues and flight patterns.

Widespread naming convention used by moderators and dedicated viewers of eagle nest webcams for monitoring purposes is: E with a sequential number (indicating its order of hatch within the recording history, e.g., E19) for eaglet; F with a sequential number (the year when it was first observed, e.g., F23) for adult resident female eagle, and M with a sequential number (the year when it was first observed, e.g., M15) for adult resident male eagle. Designations like MV (male visitor) or FV (female visitor) are used for non-resident eagles that appear at the nest temporarily. The use of these structured alphanumeric identifiers helps chronicle the eagles' lives accurately and consistently across seasons and different platforms.

Anthropomorphizing the wild eagles with human names is usually reserved for birds with unique characteristics or unusual histories.

Harriet and Ozzie

Bald eagles can live up to 30 years in the wild, reaching reproductive maturity at 4 to 5 years of age. They form lifelong pairs but will find a new partner if their original mate dies, often staying in the same territory and nest. [8] During breeding season, bald eagles typically defend their territories from other birds of prey, as well as ravens, foxes, coyotes, and other intruders. [13]

Harriet and Ozzie were named by the landowners and area birdwatchers who fell in love with the duo from a distance. Their names are based on the American sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet . The pair nested in the Pritchett pine tree from 2006 [9] to Ozzie's death in 2015, following a fight with another eagle. After having re-mated and raised eaglets with a new mate, M15, for eight more seasons, Harried disappeared in February 2023. She was last seen vocalizing at intruders in the area. Her sudden vanishing shocked both the local and the online communities. Local news coverage was extensive. For weeks, volunteer search parties scoured the area for signs of her, but no trace was ever found. In May 2023, a memorial plaque for Harriet was installed on the fence of the nearby Church of the Nazarene. On anniversaries of Harriet's disappearance, SWFEC viewership and local media have continued to publish remembrances, treating Harriet as a regional cultural icon. As of 2025, her memorial plaque has remained at the site, next to plaques for her first mate, Ozzie, and several past eaglets.

A children's book, Ozzie and Harriet Build a Nest, was published in 2016. [14]

Nesting season history

In warmer regions like Florida, the nesting season for bald eagles is from October to May. [8] The average egg incubation period for bald eagles is 34 to 36 days. Parents take turns incubating the eggs, turning them about once an hour to ensure the consistent warmth required for embryos to develop, until they sense movement and the chick begins to scratch its way out. [15] Once the chick begins breathing, it produces soft calls that the adults can hear. The entire hatching process, from the first crack (pip) to full emergence, typically takes 24 to 48 hours.

While cameras were not set up to watch the activity before 2012, the following activity has been documented about the six initial nesting seasons:

Complete Nest Notes for all seasons starting February 13, 2013, are available on the SWFEC website [16] and Facebook page. Informative online chats, as well as archived footage and screenshots with explanatory commentary, are also available via YouTube and Instagram. Below is a summary.


2012/2013 Season

The 2012–2013 season marked the first year the nest was streamed live. Over 16 million viewers tuned in to watch Harriet and Ozzie raise their two eaglets from birth to fledge. The eaglets were named Hope and Honor, the only ones to be named individually.

Hope/E1

Honor/E2

2013/2014 Season

The 2013–2014 season brought many challenges to both the viewers and the eagles. Ozzie & Harriet returned to the nest in October and laid two eggs in November.

E3

E4

2014/2015 Season

The 2014–2015 season marked the third year the nest was streamed live, this time with two high-definition cameras. Ozzie and Harriet returned to the nest in October and laid two eggs in November.

E5

E6

On March 17, 2015, Ozzie was found by FWC officials and taken to the Clinic for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) [17] for evaluation after showing signs of disorientation and injury. After 97 days of care to recover from a broken left clavicle and a broken left coracoid bone, Ozzie was released back into the wild near the nest. On Saturday, September 19, Ozzie made an appearance at the nest. On September 27, after being seen fighting with a male eagle in the area, Ozzie was found injured and again admitted back into CROW's care. On Tuesday, September 29, 2015, Ozzie died. [18]

2015/2016 Season

The 2015–2016 season was a season of many firsts for Harriet and her new mate, M15. After Ozzie's death, Harriet spent a few weeks courting possible new mates but eventually bonded with M15, laying two eggs.

E7

E8

On February 9, 2015, E8 had to be cut free from the nest after getting monofilament fishing line wrapped around its leg and foot, cutting off circulation and causing swelling. E8 was taken to the CROW clinic for treatment and released back to the nest 3 days later. The young eaglets continued to thrive and develop into juvenile eagles, fledging the nest on April 16 (E7) and May 3 (E8). But, as the nest started to deteriorate, the eagles were attacked by an owl on May 7. E7 returned the next day, E8 did not, and was feared dead. On May 13, nearly a week after the attack, volunteers found E8 alive in a nearby neighborhood with a broken leg. E8 was admitted to CROW for a second time for rehabilitation and recovery. After nearly 3 months at CROW, E8 was released back into the wild on August 18.

2016/2017 Season

2016–2017 marked the second season Harriet and her new mate, M15, mated as a pair. The season started with much anticipation of whether the eagles would return as the old nest had been completely lost after the end of the last season. Luckily, Harriet and M15 returned to the area and got to work on repairing the nest in September; the nest was in great shape for the laying of their two eggs in November.

Egg #1 (was not viable and did not hatch)

E9

Being the only eaglet in the nest, E9 thrived and grew on schedule, even setting a record for the earliest fledge when accidentally fledging on March 14 at 7:22 (age 73 days). Making a successful return to the nest after its first, accidental fledge, E9 stayed in or near the nest and was last seen in the nest area on May 2.

2017/2018 Season

The 2017–2018 season was the third year as a mated pair for Harriet and M15. Both eagles returned to the area in mid-August, working together to build up the nest before eggs were laid.

E10

E11

E10 and E11 hatched 19 hours apart. With just hours, and not days, between hatching, the siblings had a close bond and developed at a similar pace. Never far apart, they spent hours learning to hunt, fight, and survive in the wild.

2018/2019 Season

The 2018-2019 season was the fourth year as a mated pair for Harriet and M15 and the seventh year for the SWFEC streaming the nest live. Both eagles returned to the area in mid-August, working together to build up the nest before eggs were laid. Similar to the previous season, the siblings had a close bond and developed at a similar pace.

E12

E13

2019/2020 Season

Although 2019-2020 was the fifth year as a mated pair for Harriet and M15, it was a season of many firsts for the duo. Viewers saw death, resilience, and new life, along with many new milestone records hit by eaglets E15 and E16.

E14

Egg #2 (was not viable and did not hatch)

E15

E16

E14 died on January 15, 2020 (cause of death: loss of blood caused by a broken blood feather). The liver tissue of E14 was found to contain markedly increased levels of brodifacoum, a type of anticoagulant rodenticide or rat poison. (Anticoagulant rodenticides, or rat poisons, prevent the blood from clotting normally and cause an animal that has ingested a toxic amount to bleed to death). The second 2019/2020 egg was laid on November 16, 2019, at 18:30 pm, but never hatched. It was removed from the nest on January 15, when CROW removed the remains of E14. CROW determined that the egg had been fertilized, but the embryo stopped developing.

2020/2021 Season

On January 29, 2021, E17 and E18 were removed from the nest by CROW when concern for the eaglet's health was noticed: their eyes were swollen and crusty. (Results of E17 and E18 eye swabs performed by CROW came back positive for avian chlamydiosis. Avian chlamydiosis is a bacterial disease caused by Chlamydophila psittaci (C. psittaci), which is commonly carried by birds.) E17 and E18 were re-nested by CROW on February 5, 2021, at 9:41 am. Harriet returned to the nest at 2:38 pm, and M15 returned at 4:02 pm. Food was brought to the nest on February 6, 2021, at 8:41 am. Thanks to the work by veterinarians, nest monitors, and wildlife rehabilitators, the eaglets were returned to their nest healthy and have continued to grow and thrive.

E17

E18

2021/2022 Season

E19

E20

2022/2023 Season

On September 28, 2022, a Category 4 hurricane, Hurricane Ian, [19] destroyed the nest. Harriet and M15 left the nest prior to the storm's arrival and, upon returning, quickly rebuilt the nest. Two eggs were laid, and two eaglets hatched. On February 2, 2023, the beloved eagle matriarch, Harriet, was seen heading ENE and vocalizing at intruders in the area. She did not return to the nest. [20]

Harriet's disappearance caused significant emotional distress within SWFEC's vast online community, with many viewers visiting the nest area. The SWFEC website received tens of thousands of messages of condolences and support. Over time, the focus shifted to M15's dedication to raising the young alone; both of them successfully fledged.

E21

E22 (Harriet's last eaglet)

Later History

2023/2024: Later in 2023, M15 bonded with a new female, F23, and they began raising eaglets together. They successfully raised and fledged their first offspring, E23, in the spring of 2024.

2024/2025: Their two eaglets, E24 and E25, both died from avian flu within days of each other in late January 2025. M15 and F23 also fell ill but recovered from the bird flu. [21]

2025/2026: M15 and F23 returned to the nest [3] for their third season as a pair. In November 2025, showing remarkable resilience after the tragic loss of their two eaglets in the previous season, they had produced two new eggs, [2] laying them 12 to 15 days sooner than previous couples, Harriet and Ozzie, and Harriet and M15. E26 successfully hatched on December 18, 2025, and by December 21, it had already begun taking its first feedings of fish.

2025/2026 was the 14th season of the SWFEC, which has chronicled the lives of three bald eagle pairs, documenting the intense highs and lows of raising young in the wild.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Southwest Florida Eagle Cam: Fast Facts". Southwest Florida Eagle Cam. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Live Eagle Cam preparing earlier than normal for baby eagles". Cape Coral Breeze. December 10, 2024. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "The Eagle Cam is back; Southwest Florida spotlight on raptor pair is active again". WGCU PBS & NPR for Southwest Florida. October 1, 2025. Archived from the original on October 1, 2025. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  4. ↑ "U.S. Department of the Interior - News Release - Bald Eagle Soars Off Endangered Species List / Secretary Kempthorne: The eagle has returned". U.S. Department of the Interior. June 28, 2007. Archived from the original on May 2, 2025. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Bald Eagles > Frequently Asked Questions". Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on March 19, 2025. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  6. ↑ "EagleWatch". Audubon. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Bald Eagles: Nest Building". Journey North / Monarch Joint Venture. Archived from the original on April 25, 2025. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 "Bald Eagle". Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on September 16, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 "Southwest Florida Eagle Cam - About". Southwest Florida Eagle Cam--archived version. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Soaring Views: Exploring the Wonders of SW Eagle Cam Florida". Berkeley Learning Hub. August 15, 2025. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Cam live". Southwest Florida Eagle Cam. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Why Are Female Raptors Bigger Than Males? Understanding Reverse Sexual Dimorphism (RSD)". HawkWatch International. Archived from the original on August 5, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Bald Eagle Life History". All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
  14. ↑ Richards, Shirley (May 5, 2016). Ozzie and Harriet Build a Nest. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN   978-1532858710.
  15. ↑ "Bald Eagles: Incubation". Journey North / Monarch Joint Venture. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Blog – Southwest Florida Eagle Cam" . Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife – CROW". 2025-12-01. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Ozzie the eagle dead after live-streamed lovers duel in Florida". Reuters. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Hurricane Ian's Path of Destruction". National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  20. ↑ "Hunt for Harriet: Search for famous Florida eagle continues, eaglets still OK". The News-Press. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  21. ↑ "HPAI avian flu killed both eaglets from North Fort Myers nest seen on webcam". WUSF. January 30, 2025. Archived from the original on March 21, 2025. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.