Watch the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam (SWFL) from Southwest Florida and follow M15 at the famous bald eagle nest. Use the Pond Cam link below to watch on YouTube. Cam 3 and the 4K cam are currently offline. You can also find season updates, nest history, and FAQs here.
2025–2026 Season at a Glance
- E26 hatched: December 18, 2025
- F23 last seen: February 27, 2026
- F23 presumed dead: March 4, 2026
- E26 fledged: March 10, 2026
- M15: remained in the territory as E26 became independent
Latest SWFL Eagle Nest Posts:
Pond Cam
Nest View
4K Cam
Typical Season Timeline
- Nestoration: late October-November; sticks, rails, soft grass & moss
- Egg window: typically November, with increased nest work and time near the nest bowl
- Hatch window: about 35 days after an egg is laid
- Fledge window: about 10-12 weeks after hatch
- Post-fledge: young eagles continue learning to fly, find food, and become independent
Read more
2025-2026 SWFL Eagle Season Recap
- Egg #1: laid November 13, 2025, and hatched December 18 as E26.
- Egg #2: laid November 15, 2025, but did not hatch.
- F23: last seen February 27, 2026. On March 4, nest operators announced that she was presumed dead after credible reports of a deceased eagle found less than two miles from the nest.
- E26 fledged: March 10, 2026, at about 6:32 p.m. ET.
- M15: continued delivering food and defending the territory as E26 developed into an independent young eagle.
Meet M15 & Remembering F23
- M15: A veteran bald eagle known for his nest building, hunting, territorial defense, and dedication as a parent. In 2026, he continued caring for E26 after F23 disappeared.
- F23: M15’s mate during the 2025-2026 nesting season and mother of E26. She helped raise E26 until her disappearance in late February 2026 and was presumed dead in early March.
How to Watch the SWFL Eagle Cams
- Watch the Pond Cam: Use the YouTube link above to open the stream in a new tab.
- Playback: On YouTube, select the full-screen button for a larger view. When rewind is available, use the playback bar to catch earlier activity.
- Audio: Make sure the YouTube player is unmuted if you want to listen. Wind can sometimes mask vocalizations.
- Local time: The nest is in Southwest Florida and operates on Eastern Time (ET).
SWFL Eagle Nest History & Notable Moments
- Nest building: Watch for M15 carrying and positioning sticks, grasses, and other nesting material as breeding season approaches.
- Food deliveries: Fish are a major part of the eagles’ diet, along with other prey found throughout Southwest Florida.
- 2026 milestone: After the loss of F23, M15 continued caring for E26 until the young eagle fledged on March 10, 2026.
- Wildlife visitors: Other birds and wildlife can occasionally appear around the nest tree and surrounding habitat.
Southwest Florida Eagle Cam FAQs
Q: How can I watch the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam?
A: Use the Pond Cam link above to watch on YouTube in a new tab. Cam 3 and the 4K cam are currently offline.
Q: What happened to F23?
A: F23 was last seen on February 27, 2026. On March 4, Southwest Florida Eagle Cam operators announced that she was presumed dead after credible reports of a deceased eagle less than two miles from the nest. Definitive identification was not possible, but the location and timing led operators to conclude that F23 had most likely died.
Q: What happened to E26?
A: E26 successfully fledged on March 10, 2026. M15 continued providing food and protecting the territory as E26 became more independent.
Q: When do Southwest Florida eagles usually lay eggs?
A: Egg laying at this nest typically occurs during the fall nesting season, often in November. Bald eagle eggs generally hatch after about 35 days of incubation.
Q: What are the best times to watch the SWFL Eagle Cam?
A: During active nesting season, sunrise and late afternoon can be especially active periods for nest work, food deliveries, and eagle visits. Activity can occur at any time of day.
Q: Are the SWFL eagles wild?
A: Yes. The Southwest Florida Eagle Cam documents wild bald eagles living and nesting in their natural environment.
- Get email updates for major SWFL Eagle Cam events, including eggs, hatches, and first flights: Sign up for our newsletter.
So, the female is “named” F-26 so I assume they are a bonded pair? How much mating behavior has been seen?
Video from 10/17 with nice photography by Barb Henry. M15 visits the old nest tree just before the 5 minute mark. Closeups of M15. I think he misses his old nest.
I think M-15 misses the old nest also. So different with the tower site.
This makes me so sad. I feel like we won’t be able to enjoy them as much this season with them moving so far away.
For all who were watching Hutch, Maz, and Sid at the US Steel nest this past season, there was a partial nest collapse a few days ago on 10/17 (at the 7 minute mark). Hope it doesn’t affect the next season.
Thanks MaryNJ!!! Wish we could give them a helping hand. They are certainly working hard.
Yes, Stella and Irv work well together.
Female is officially named F26. Some great photography work by Desiree Deliz’s Photography. This video states the top level is level 1 and the bottom level is level 4, whereas Androcat stated that the cell tower is like an office building floors, level 1 is lowest level and level 4 is the top level. Contradictory info. Should we refer to the levels like a house: basement on the bottom, then first floor, second floor, and attic on top? Any suggestions?
I was just going to ask about the levels! I naturally consider the lowest level 1 and the top level 4, k guess if Pritchett chimes in I’d go by that, but I guess they are sorta out of the cell tower thing. No one in charge here? At Big Valley I consider FOBBV the “boss”. Off the Pritchett property who is boss here?
Obviously the eagles are in charge, lol. All human activity has to stop at the tower because the eagles’ activity has priority. 😂 No seriously, the boss is a mystery to me. If I had to take a guess, I’d say it’s the private property owner where the cell tower is located. But don’t know who that is.
Hi Mary. What I really meant by “boss” is who can make the decision to call the new female F26. With Pritchett they were sure they had seen enough evidence of bonding before the designation F23 came. At FOBBV they didn’t name Kaydee until the same.
Thanks so much Mary for all your postings, research, information. We appreciate you.
You’re welcome, Debbie. Everyone’s comments/contributions help.
My mind is still blown away with the thought of an eagle nest being built on a cell tower. Apparently it has happened a lot and there have been fledges. I still think about what I said earlier, with no natural branches, how does the nest hold a shape, a structure without it scattering. A nest bole. What keeps the eaglets in? From wandering. Railings? Can they exist? Branching? Oh dear, but perhaps I will see, I will learn, I will admire. Maybe even better learn the lesson, trust the eagles!
I guess we’ll see (somewhat), whatever the ground videographers can provide us with. We’ll all learn.
It is certainly going to be different. I still just can’t imagine! My mind is more finite than the eagles!
Our intelligence is much greater than an eagle’s, but we will never know exactly what they are thinking. As Shadow roosts in that tree, what is he thinking about? We can make assumptions about what eagles think or feel based on observations of their behavior or on the circumstances that are occurring around them. Like when Shadow quickly flew away after the gunshot, was he experiencing fear? or was it just instinct driving him to flight from a loud noise? can he make the connection that a gun that makes the loud sound can harm or kill? If he has… Read more »
You are exactly right. We can’t really know these things. Even the experts can’t know these things. In my mind we can’t even know for sure they don’t possess any real emotions, how would we know that either way? I have never been one to say they have emotions, or they don’t! I agree with everything you said.
I gotta run, it is my bedtime. Thanks again for all your sharing and caring, research and posting. I’m going to be sure to finish the video and accompanying info tomorrow.
Have a good day tomorrow. 😃
Thanks Mary, you too.