FORT MYERS, Fla. — For everyone who has been keeping up with the beloved Southwest Florida eagles for some time now, another major milestone has been met – E21 fledged for the first time!
On Thursday morning, the eaglet, which is officially 85 days old now, was seen soaring through the pasture skies. It eventually returned minutes later to the upper attic – marking a successful first flight for the cute eagle baby.
E21 made the big leap almost two weeks after it was caught on the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam branching to a nearby spike.
E22 followed its sibling ways only days later with branching, so it should be any day now when the second eaglet makes its first flight.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, eaglets make their first unsteady flights about 10 to 12 weeks after hatching – which means these eaglets are on the right track.
Once the eaglets get comfortable with flying, they will reportedly ledge, or leave their nests, within a few days after that first flight.
The Southwest Florida Eagle Cam has been livestreaming this nest since 2012. Following some downtime after Hurricane Ian, the live look returned — and the eagles rebuilt their nest. Today, it uses four discreet cameras that monitor the birds around the clock.
For anyone wanting to watch highlights from the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam, you can find them here.
You can also check out the 24-hour live stream down below to keep an eye out for Harriet and see how the eaglets are doing:
