FORT MYERS, Fla — Hurricane Ian devastated much of southwest Florida, leaving many people to rebuild and try to put their lives back together following the storm.
One of the area's famous animal couples is also rebuilding after Ian battered the area and wiped away their nest.
Harriet and M15 are perhaps Florida's most famous bald eagle pair. They're live-streamed across the globe during nesting season, capturing the hearts of many as they await each year for the potential new additions to the eagles' family.
When Hurricane Ian barreled across the state, the eagles' nest was destroyed and the live stream camera went down. Photos posted by the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam showed the eagle's 60-foot tree before and after the storm hit.
“Their nest was completely demolished during Ian — not a stick left and many of their foundational branches broke off,” Virginia Pritchett McSpadden, whose family owns the land where the eagle nest is located told the Fort Myers News-Press. “After the storm passed, I remember having this gutted feeling that they were harmed, the trees had fallen and they wouldn’t return to the area but to my surprise. ...both eagles were spotted safe and already attempting to bring in new sticks. It brought tears to my eyes and I know to many others as well.”
But the timing of the nest's destruction isn't necessarily a bad thing. Typically, October is the time when bald eagles build and repair their nests in southwest Florida.
After a few weeks of being down, even the live stream camera is back in operation, ready to stream nesting season for Harriet and M15. According to the Washington Post, the cameras trained on Harriet and M15 have been up since 2012.