The Southwest Florida Eagle Cam’s 12th season took flight on a wing and a prayer Sunday: It looks like international star M15 has found a new mate and fans everywhere are hoping a new brood of eaglets can erase some of the sadness of matriarch Harriet’s apparent demise last season.

Since its launch on the Pritchett property in September of 2012, the 24/7 raptor reality show has recorded more than 210 million views from more than 190 countries worldwide.

It has a near cult following and no, we can’t explain why any more than we would even attempt to expound on the popularity of The Kardashians.

What we do know is that for many of us here in Southwest Florida, the eagle cam is more than a guilty pleasure — it’s a seasonal tradition with a huge fan base of social media pages filled with photos of the family happenings from nest refurbishment and the laying of the latest clutch, to the first pip through the shell and the raising of the hatchling through their first flights.

There’s happiness to be found at the host site, dickpritchettrealestate.com.

And there’s drama as well because, as anyone who’s ever watched the Lion King knows, natural selection is not always pretty.

But through the harshness of eaglet deaths, great horned owl attacks, and even the passing of the original nesting pair Ozzie and Harriet, we continue to watch, we continue to learn, and we continue to hope for the successful raising of those eaglets that grow from raggedy fuzz balls to young adults on the hunt in a matter of mere months.

To M15 and the young miss with whom he is apparently engaging in a bit of nest building.

We’ll be among those tuning in, once again.

— Breeze editorial