The Southwest Florida Eagle Cam began its live streams Sunday, opening the sixth season with three high definition cameras placed around the nesting site off Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers. The setup, which allows views worldwide the follow the activities of the eagle matriarch dubbed Harriet and her mate, M15, will again feature three live cams. Hurricane Irma tore down trees nearby, but the nest stayed intact. The eagle pair was seen last week doing nest repair to strengthen it after the storm and to prepare for nesting season, which is expected to happen right around Thanksgiving.
Andrew Pritchett, who runs the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam, said he was thrilled to see the nest and the birds still in the area. The photographers have seen them adding sticks to their nest. They seem to be back to business as usual. Melody Kilborn, spokesperson with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said nests being destroyed in a major weather event is common.
Bald eagles generally rebuild their nests in the same nest tree. If the nest tree is damaged or destroyed, eagles will likely look to a close, large tree to build a new nest. A study by the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary discovered that during Hurricane Isabel in , which hit the Chesapeake Bay area in Virginia, only 46 percent of pairs that lost nests attempted to breed the following season, compared to 85 percent of pairs that did not lose nests.
Of the pairs that made breeding attempts, only 69 percent of pairs that lost nests during the hurricane produced young compared to 83 percent of pairs that did not lose nests. Average brood size was also reduced for pairs that lost nests, according to the study.
Eagle fans can follow Harriet and M15 at www. Donations to the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam Foundation, created by the Pritchett family to help maintain the camera for future live streams and projects are always welcome. Oct 5, 4 min read.
