The adventures of America’s favorite eagle family continue as the eaglet, E9, grows stronger and bigger every day. The Southwest Florida eagle cam streams live online from North Fort Myers, and has highlighted the events of mother eagle Harriet, father M15, and E9 since October, 2016. Dick Pritchett operates the cam that he first established in 2012, as reported by WFTV. This marks the fifth season that has streamed live online and while there are many eagle cams, none have grown in popularity as the Southwest Florida eagle cam. The Southwest Florida eagle cam is watched worldwide, used in schools across the nation to teach wildlife lessons, and serves as a source of entertainment for countless viewers. You may watch the live streaming eagle cam in the video player above.
Welcome to the World little one! Hatched 7:33am ET on the last day of 2016. See video here: https://t.co/TCuUAviLfR pic.twitter.com/sQ1jmJQMfH
— SWFL Eagle Cam (@SWFLEagleCAM) December 31, 2016
The official SWFL Eagle Cam Twitter account has shared several photos of E9, as the eaglet begins to move around the nest and gain independence. It is still unknown whether E9 is a male or female, but the eaglet is now growing pin feathers. Bald eagles eat a variety of foods, and according to the National Eagle Center , will enjoy fish, small mammals, and even other birds.
Each day, viewers watch as parents Harriet and M15 take turns bringing various fish to the nest. On Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017, viewers received a treat when instead of fish, E9 feasted on a small heron. Harriet was seen bringing the bird into the nest and soon the birds were enjoying the meal.
Those who’ve watched the live streaming eagle cam have noticed the nest is often full of fish, but rarely has a bird been seen. YouTube user Lady Hawk captured the moment from the live stream and filmed it in a separate video. You may watch E9 enjoying the heron in the video player below.
Sunday morning vibes before some bad weather moves through #swfl . (photo by Desiree Deliz) pic.twitter.com/LMPOno6vO3
— SWFL Eagle Cam (@SWFLEagleCAM) January 22, 2017
Lady Hawk also captured another valuable video from the live streaming eagle cam. On Jan. 22, 2016, Florida experienced turbulent weather with high, gusty winds. Seeing how the eagles handled these types of weather conditions in the wild provided an educational look at wildlife often unwitnessed. In the following video, you may see a panoramic view of the tree where the eagle nest is situated, and watch as the strong wind whips through the branches. Harriet and M15 are seen huddling over E9, protecting the young eaglet from the gusts. Bald eagles mate for life and this is the second time the eagle pair has mated. While many expect to see Harriet taking dutiful care of E9, some are often surprised at how attentive and thorough M15 is when protecting his young eaglet. The wind was so strong as the threat of tornados loomed overhead, that at times it appeared that M15 and Harriet would blow away. The eagles could be seen gripping their claws around branches in the nest while they fought back the wind and remained a solidified force over E9. The wind did not diminish E9’s appetite, and the eaglet can be seen in the video eating despite weather concerns.
The official Southwest Florida eagle cam Twitter account shared an update regarding E9’s upcoming changes. E9 was born on Dec. 31, 2016, and is nearing one-month-old. While many have noticed the eaglet is growing rapidly, there are many changes that will soon be evident to all. According to SWFL, E9 will soon stand one-foot-tall, and growth in E9’s beak and feet will slow as they are nearing adult size. Over the next few months, E9’s feathers will take shape and the eaglet will become more independent. You may continue to watch all of E9’s changes in the live streaming video player above.
E9 will be 3 weeks old tomorrow. By 3-4 weeks, it will be about 1 foot high & its feet/beak are very nearly adult size
— SWFL Eagle Cam (@SWFLEagleCAM) January 20, 2017
[Featured Image by Rocky Grimes/Shutterstock]
