Southwest Florida Eagle Cam set to go live Oct. 1
Feed will not go through Pritchett Real Estate website; moves exclusively to YouTube i
When the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam gets set to roll again on Oct. 1, expect there to be high intrigue at the nest.
Speculation is M15 is currently looking for a mate. There has been a mysterious female hanging around the nest, possibly the same one seen there last spring.
As cam followers know, F23 went missing in early February and is believed to be dead. M15 was again left to care for a pair of young eaglets, just a couple weeks before they were set to fledge.
Soon after, a female was spotted at the nest, believed to be a younger female. It is also unknown whether the female went north with M15 over the summer.
Ginnie Pritchett-McSpadden, co-founder of the SWFL Eagle Cam said things will be different with a new female in the nest.
“Things are different this time around. We are still mourning the loss of F23, but M15 has returned to the nest area,” Pritchett-McSpadden said. “We think the same eagle that was around late spring is in the area with him.”
Pritchett-McSpadden said they don’t have a bonding or mating pair yet, but there is great interest there.
“Hopefully, they will start to bring nest material to the nest and start that natural process,” Pritchett-McSpadden said.
The female’s age. is unknown. Pritchett-McSpadden said they hope that once the cameras roll they can get close up and get an approximate age, if she’s mated and bonded before, and make educated guesses from there.
The eagle cam will again have the four cameras. This nesting season, the feed will not go through the Pritchett Real Estate website. It will be shown exclusively on YouTube instead.
The first official day of nesting season in Florida for eagles is Oct. 1.
“It will definitely be an adjustment for viewers who were so used to going to our website,” Pritchett-McSpadden said. “We hope to have the same streaming ability and capture everything with this new year coming.”
Pritchett-McSpadden said it’s hard to believe they have been around for 15 years.
But this could be the year to watch with all that’s happening.
“I’m like, wow, 15 years? This is crazy. So, I’m shocked and love it that we’re here,” Pritchett-McSpadden said. “It’s great to do this year after year and provide the community the opportunity. There are a lot of unknowns this year so it will make for interesting viewing. It’s a great year to tune in and see how everything unfolds.”
To reach CHUCK BALLARO, please email news@breezenewspapers.com