Watch the SWFL Eagle Cam live from Southwest Florida and follow beloved bald eagle pair M15 & F23 through nest building, egg-laying, hatch, and fledge. Below you’ll find the live stream, today’s highlights, season timeline, and FAQs to help you get the most from the cams.
Season Timeline
- Nestoration: late Oct–Nov — sticks, rails, soft grass & moss
- Egg window: early–mid Nov (watch for increased food deliveries & nest time)
- Hatch window: ~35 days after laying
- Fledge window: ~10–12 weeks after hatch
- Post-fledge: parental feeding & flight training near the nest
Read more
Meet M15 & F23
- M15: Veteran provider & nest engineer; known for multiple fish deliveries/day in pre-lay.
- F23: First egg of 2024 laid Nov 8; 2025 Nov 12th; in pre-lay periods she often eats on the nest and increases time in the nest tree.
How to Watch (Cam Tips)
- Playback: Use the DVR bar to rewind ~12 hours.
- Audio: Wind can mask vocalizations; try the 4K cam for clearer sound.
- Behavior cues: Mantling over food, aerating, rolling eggs, “chortle” vocalizations.
- Tip: For the best audio of chortles and wingbeats, use the 4K cam.
- Local time: The nest operates on Eastern Time (ET).
Nest History & Notable Moments
- Stick engineering: Watch M15 test & wedge branches to raise rails.
- Food log: Tilapia, catfish heads, mullet—varies by season and water levels.
- Visitor notes: Loggerhead shrike, anhinga, and the occasional raven fly-by.
FAQs
Q: When do SWFL eagles usually lay eggs?
A: Typically early–mid November, with hatch roughly 35 days later.
Q: Why is F23 eating on the nest?
A: In pre-lay, females often conserve energy and stay close to the bowl, so on-nest feeding increases.
Q: How can I tell who’s on the nest?
A: F23 is larger with a rounder head; M15 shows a slightly slimmer frame and often arrives with sticks or fish.
Q: Do you intervene?
A: No. These cams document wild eagles for education and research; intervention is not part of this project.
Q: Best times to watch?
A: Sunrise and late afternoon for deliveries and nest work; overnight for incubation shifts.
Support & Alerts
- Get email alerts for eggs, hatches, & first flights
- spo-newsletter
- Support these cams & conservation: dickpritchettrealestate.com
Cam 3
main cam
4k cam
Community Discussions
Questions and topics started by viewers.
Happy to see mom with E26 TONIGHT, ITS WINDY OUT
18:14 E26 trying to move under mom to get warm, but can’t fit anymore. Settles down next to her.
😘
F23 brought a huge bunch of grass to keep E26 warm.
♥
Windy at the nest. I don’t see anything hanging out the E’s beak. Sounds like that is a very good thing.
what is a pelt
do they mean pellet?
What is a pelt on an animal?
A pelt is an animal’s skin, fur and all
I understand that is what was hanging out of her mouth.
i didnt
Yes, it was a big long long piece of the RK animal’s skin with the fur attached (circled in the photo). One time Ozzie was choking on a long pelt, and Harriet flew down to the nest and pulled the pelt out and saved his life.
I remember that with Ozzie
holy cow.thanks for posting that again
Hi Mary NJ ! I remember that video of Ozzie and Harriet. I have watched it many times. She was so smart, and they worked beautifully together. ❤️ Thanks for posting it for us. 🤗
That’s great Debbie! I’m so relieved. I just looked back at the earliest video viewable (3:14 am) and the pelt was not there anymore. So sometime between 1 am and 3 am, the pelt either broke off or E26 swallowed it. Good news.
it is good news! Our eaglet looks healthy for sure.
M15 brought in a roadkill mammal. It was dark when F23 was feeding E26 the roadkill. E26 was hungry, and at 19:01, E26 grabbed a long pelt of the mammal that F was tearing apart.
E26 swallowed part of the pelt, but a lot of it was hanging out of E26’s beak.
F23 tried many times to pull the pelt out
E26 was trying to shake it out unsuccessfully and F23 tried again but it still wouldn’t budge. E26 was able to eat with the pelt in the throat and beak.
The pelt was still hanging there after midnight. Hope that one of the parents pull it out tomorrow morning.
Feeling the wind in it’s wings.
Such a pretty baby!
😘