Beloved Southwest Florida Eagle Cam eaglet dies: Officials

One of the beloved eaglets of the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam passed away a little over a month after hatching in the famous Pritchard Realty nest.

The announcement was made on Sunday on the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam Facebook page.

Southwest Florida Eagle Cam eaglet dies

What we know:

The eaglet named E24 hatched on Dec. 15, 2024.

Twenty-four hours later, the second egg in the nest, E25, made its way into the world.

E24 hatched in December 2024. Image is courtesy of Dick Pritchett Real Estate.

E24 hatched in December 2024. Image is courtesy of Dick Pritchett Real Estate. 

For more than a month, the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam documented their lives.

Fans watched with delight as the eaglets worked to strengthen their muscles and devoured the food their parents delivered to the nest.

However, that joy turned to sorrow on Sunday when the famous Facebook page posted that E24 had died suddenly.

The post stated that E24 showed signs of distress just a few minutes before passing at 6:41 p.m.

E24 died on Sunday evening. Image is courtesy of Dick Pritchett Real Estate.

E24 died on Sunday evening, according to the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam Facebook page. Image is courtesy of Dick Pritchett Real Estate.

What we don't know:

It is unclear why E24 suddenly passed away.

In its social media post, the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam shared that those who monitor the camera have no concrete information about what happened to the eaglet beyond what was seen on the camera.

The post went on to state, "We do not want to speculate or provide inaccurate information about possible causes of death but will reach out to local wildlife officials to decide next steps and a possible necropsy. Fly High & Forever Free E24. Your 43 days on Earth will be cherished by all."

What is the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam?

The backstory:

The eagles’ nest has generated attention since September 2012 when a noiseless camera was placed six feet above the nest to capture the daily lives of eagles Ozzie and Harriet. The pair had been visiting the nest since 2006. 

Since 2012, several other cameras have been strategically placed on the tree to watch the nest, which sits 60 feet above the ground in a Slash Pine tree.

Viewers rejoiced as the couple welcomed eaglets over the years and mourned when Ozzie was killed by an intruder in September 2015.

After his passing, Harriet took M15 as a mate and the world continued watching as life went on with new eaglets hatching.

In the spring of 2016, officials say the nest deteriorated and completely fell apart, but the birds rebuilt.

It was destroyed by Hurricane Ian in 2022, but less than two days later, Harriet and M15 began to rebuild.

"The eagles had started to rebuild and had to start from stick one basically," said Pritchett McSpadden at the time.

Three months later, they were ready to welcome two new eaglets – called E21 and E22 – to the world and viewers were thrilled.

That joy soon turned to sorrow when Harriet disappeared from the nest after an "intruder" was spotted near the nest in early February. 

RELATED: Where is Harriet? M-15 continues caring for two eaglets while mother remains missing

She was never seen again by officials who monitor the nest, leaving M15 to fend for their two hatched eaglets.

Nearly a year after Harriet went missing, M15 recently returned to the nest with his new mate, F23.

The first egg between the newly mated couple was spotted in November 2023.

Officials who monitor the camera said in a social media post, "The odds were against this newly mated couple but Mother Nature and natural instinct continues to prevail."

M15 and F23 had been tending to two eggs, but, according to the website, the second egg became compromised somehow and did not hatch.

M15 and F23 welcomed E23 to the world on Dec. 31, 2023. 

A little less than a year later, E24 and 25 hatched, with E24 passing away on Sunday.

Click here to watch the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam live.

The Source: This story was written with information provided on the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam Facebook page and previous FOX 13 news reports. 

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:

FloridaWild NaturePets and AnimalsViral