SWFL eaglets die; CROW seeks answers
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When you watch the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam, you see the best Mother Nature has to offer.
Fans worldwide see North Fort Myers' most famous eagle pair re-build their nest, lay eggs, nurture their brood as they hatch and then care for their young until they are able to fledge and survive on their own.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature has a darker side.
On Sunday, viewers saw E24 pass away following a short illness. The death of E25 followed Tuesday morning around 3 a.m. when the young eaglet fell from the nest off Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers showing similar symptoms.
"We think it was something contagious, but we can't speculate what it could be. We're working with CROW and local wildlife officials to do a necropsy on both eaglets," Virginia Pritchett-McSpadden, founder of the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam, said early Tuesday afternoon. "They have some ideas what it could be, but don't know for certain and don't want to give disinformation."
E24 was showing signs of distress Sunday evening around 6:41 p.m., Pritchett-McSpadden said. The eaglet succumbed quickly.
E25 showed the same symptoms as E24 and suffered what appeared to be a seizure before falling out of the nest, Pritchett-McSpadden said.
E24 was 43 days old, about halfway to the time eaglets fledge and about the time they were able to feed themselves. E25 was 42 days old.
The parents, M15 and F23, have shown signs of grieving in the nest, Pritchett-McSpadden said. They've hung around the nest more and brought in a fish for E25
Pritchett-McSpadden said these developments have left fans questioning what the future of the nest might hold but they are waiting for facts.
"I don't want to comment or speculate. We're not sure what happened. We're in uncharted territory. We've never seen anything like this before," Pritchett-McSpadden said. "We're watching and waiting to see like everyone else. I hope they're able to start their new normal."
What that new normal will entail is unknown. M15 has some experience. In late 2019, M15 and for mate, Harriett had a clutch of two eggs. One egg was not viable and the second eaglet died a few weeks after birth after ingesting poison.
In early 2020, M15 and Harriett tried again and had a second clutch that hatched in April 2020. Both eaglets fledged.
"In the past we've had some sad events and we always show Mother Nature at its best and worst. If viewers are too upset by what happened and have stopped tuning in, we understand," Pritchett-McSpadden said. "We hope this is not the end of the story for F and M. We hope that what happened to the eaglets does not spread to them."
Pritchett-McSpadden said if they get any updates, viewers will be notified.
Egg No. 1 was laid Nov. 8, 2024 at 2:38 p.m. and E24 hatched on Dec. 14 at 4:01p.m. Egg No. 2 was laid on Nov. 11 at 6:15 p.m. and hatched on Dec. 17 at 5:48 a.m.
Visit dickpritchettrealestate.com/southwest-florida-eagle-cam/ for live updates.