SWFL eagles on egg watch
The 2019-20 nesting season for the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam eagles, Harriet and mate M15, was a year unlike any other as it also was for us less-famous residents.
And though it may be a little later than usual, North Fort Myers’ two international stars appear ready to rear another brood as the SWFL Eagle Cam is on an egg watch — something that at one point appeared might not happen this year.
The eagles have spent the last few weeks restoring their nest on the Pritchett property on Old Bayshore Road. The egg bowl and nest rails have been transformed and are looking egg ready, a positive sign for the millions of viewers after Harriet and M15 first began seeking a new nest location that would have caused this season’s activity to be out of view.
Andrew Pritchett, who runs the eagle cam, said the eagles were scouting an area in the west pasture of the farm.
“They started to build a nest there and they were working on it for some time and it looked like they would nest there, but they came back,” Pritchett said.
Pritchett said had the eagles moved, it would have greatly limited what they could do regarding how the eagles could be viewed. Everything would have had to be viewed from a distance.
“There is time and cost involved. If there is a new nest, there are the logistics of getting a camera there,” Pritchett said. “It was so early in the season so we were in a wait-and-see position to see what would happen.”
Last year was a trying one for Harriet and M15. The pair lost both eaglets in their first clutch and then successfully re-clutched in early spring with E15 and E16.
It wasn’t until late summer that both left the nest, the reason for the later-than-expected season this go-around. The eggs have typically been laid before Thanksgiving, with hatching occurring around Christmas.
Viewers can watch and track all the action of “Egg Watch 2020” on the official SWFL Eagle Cam website, the official Facebook page, Twitter feed, Instagram account, Tumblr page and YouTube channel.
Teachers or groups looking to use the cam as an educational resource or class project, can contact the SWFEC at info@southwestfloridaeaglcam.com
Since its inception in 2012, the SWFEC has received more than 160 million views from 190 countries worldwide. Every year, the SWFEC has updated itself, adding more cameras and more ways to view the eagles.
The SWFEC launched the first ever live 360 video eagle camera allowing viewers to experience real time views of Harriet, M15 and the eaglets.
This year there will be the three cameras plus the 360. There will be improved sound and the infrared light was fixed in the offseason, as there were issues last year seeing the eagles at night.
“The new year brings a lot of unknowns and usually brings something different, but it’s been exciting to watch and we hope to have some eggs soon,” Pritchett said.