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.
Miss seeing you Little E. Have a safe and lovely journey and come back to the nest soon. You and your dad are dearly missed sweet one. Much love to you.
So true! Thanks, Lisa. 💙
I love that baby!!!! Little E is just soooo special. Beautifully soaring. Tugging on my heart ❤️!!!
Same here. I really miss them. 😓
4/19 Pritchett update: “Cams panned the area several times during the day. M15 did not deliver any food and was not seen in places where he has been known to visit. E26 is 122 days old and was last seen on cams on Friday afternoon. Be safe M15 and E26.”
Sounds like E26 has gone off on their journey. Hope E26 and M15 stay safe and healthy.
Thank you MaryNJ. 🤗 The bittersweet part has arrived, I believe. I’m so glad we have videos and pictures. 😍
So bittersweet. From the tiny baby eaglet to the soaring youngster in just 4 months.Do they usually come back to the nest in time???? I hope so….
Once a juvenile leaves the nest area, it’s possible that the juvenile could return to the nest many months from now. If that happens when the parents are preparing the nest or if they have eggs/eaglets in the nest, the parent(s) would just chase the juvenile away. Once the juvenile goes off on their own, they are on their own for survival, and the juvie won’t choose a mate until they have matured at 5 years of age.
Thanks, MaryNJ. But remember E-21 pulled a fast one and left the nest and then came back a week or two later to spend more time with his sister, E-22. I couldn’t believe it. But I think E-26 is way too mature to come back. 🤔
I think so too. In some ways, E26 was acting like a mature adult. And E21 had left way too soon, so it was good that E21 returned for a little bit more time at the nest.
Thank you. Hopefully the baby is safe and having a grand time. I do hope to see Little E again!!!
Yes, bittersweet indeed, but E26 needs to explore the world and live an eagle’s life. It’s such a short time really that we have to watch them grow up. The past four months flew by so fast. With the care of these wonderful eagle parents M15 and F23, E26 grew up to be a healthy, strong, and courageous juvenile. Live long and soar high E26! 💖
Well said. ❤️
Anyone seen our youngster Little E 26 today????
If they don’t get a substantial downpour soon , that pond will end up just a puddle. 😦
Crazy weather everywhere, bozsmom. 🤔
4/18 update from the Pritchett site: “E26 was not seen on cams today. Has E26 left on his/her life’s journey or is E26 nearby and out of view? Time will tell. M provided food today but E26 did not arrive to claim it. M flew East, roosts away. “
Thank you for update.
You’re welcome, Lisa.
I wonder if M is with his new mate?
It’s possible he’s out there looking for a new partner. I haven’t heard anything about it.
I know he had that one who was hanging around for a while. She may have just decided to stay in the background for a while.
We’ll have to wait to see what happens next season.
True. I can hardly wait! Already! It will be a long Summer. I’m so grateful to have videos and pictures to look at.
any update on why the cams are down ?
oh good their back
Today’s events so far via the Pritchett site. E is getting good at protecting the nest. “9:22a E flies SE. 9:42a E follows M in with RK, M to inner limb, flies NW. 9:44a Juvie flies in from the West, tries to land on nest, E chases it. E back to nest. 9:49a M in with another UFO, to the inner limb. 9:55a M flies North. Food: 2-RK.”
Thanks Vicki. 😊 E-26 chased M to the nest during the first road kill delivery. M got there first, but he kind of hovered a little bit waiting on his baby to get there at the same time as he did. It was cute. There is a video that Androcat did, showing a couple of views of their flight together. It was beautiful! ❤️
Thanks for the video, Karen. So nice to see them flying together. They fly so fast that the slo-mo of them flying doesn’t even look slow.
Thanks, MaryNJ. They are just so awesome. I could watch them fly all day.