SWFL Eagle Cam has established a legacy

Story by Chuck Ballaro

Photos Provided by Swfleaglecam.com

The 2022-23 season for the Southwest Flor da Eagle Cam was unl ke any other in its 11-year history

It started even before any eggs were laid as Hurricane Ian destroyed the nest off Bayshore Road, forcing Harriet and mate M15 to work double-time to rebuild, al owing Harriet to lay her eggs right about on schedule.

Eaglets E21 and E22 hatched around the new year and, for a month everything seemed to be the norm with E21 bullying its sibling for food and all the usual things that have happened n and around the nest since the nternat onal y renown cam went live 11 years ago

That changed on Feb 2 when Harr et flew away to chase off some ntruders and never returned Th s put M15 in charge of taking care of two eaglets a good two months away from fledging.

The odds were certain y against the now single parent but despite numerous intruders vy ng for h s affections and the dangers of having to leave his babies alone in the nest as he hunted for food, M15 was able to keep h s brood alive and both successfu ly fledged

Each eag et also went missing for brief spells but returned to the nest E21 flew the coop out on ts own E22 has hung around a little longer than expected and M15 continued to provide for the younger sibling.

Every step of the way the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam has brought fans the momentous occasions and troubling traged es that occur in nature

G nnie Pr tchett-McSpadden one of the Eagle Cam founders said this year has been an amazing experience for everyone involved

“It’s amazing how the eagles have been able to handle everything that has been thrown at them. They’ve given me so much hope. This is one for the record books ” Pritchett-McSpadden said.

The eag e cam has had more than 204 million views from near y every nat on in the world and has been used by teachers worldwide to teach students about ba d eag es and how America s nationa birds l ve It has also spawned a book series about the ate matriarch Harriet and brought bird watchers from a l over get a closer look at the eagles from the church next door

How it started

Harriet and her previous mate Ozzie had nested across the street the Pritchett Farm on Bayshore Road for a ong time before moving to the farm in 2006

In 2012 the Pritchett family decided t wanted to document on video the daily ives of the bald eagles in the nest, so they raised some money, got the necessary approvals and started the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam

“We observed them coming in and out of the office every day Photographers came and took pictures of them as social med a was developing,” Pritchett-McSpadden sa d. “Eagle cams were springing up all over the country and decided to try it out ” Pritchett-McSpadden and her husband and Andy Pritchett, her brother he ped set it up with their IT experience, then set up a Facebook page, and the rest s history

It started with one camera posit oned six feet above the nesting tree, 60 feet in the a r, equipped with night vis on or nfrared l ght wh ch emits no actual light The eagles do not see or hear anything coming from the camera

The founders had no idea how the eagle cam would be received by the public but they learned soon enough: Thousands watched as Ozzie and Harriet hatched Hope and Honor, the only eaglets given formal names. Both fledged

This made that f rst season (2012-13) the most rewarding n the eyes of the founders.