FORT MYERS, Fla. — Things are getting pretty serious between M15 and F23.
The two eagles based in Fort Myers are starting a family after the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam showed a glimpse of an egg in the nest.
"The odds were against this new couple but Mother Nature and natural instinct continues to prevail," SWFL Eagle Cam said in a post on X Friday night, formerly known as Twitter.
The two have been taking turns on egg duty. Early Saturday morning, M15 – who's the main eagle being seen in and around the nest after arriving toward the end of summer – had his first look at the egg and took over incubating.
M15 also brought sticks, grass and two partial fish for F23. Officials say F23 ate one of the fish on the nest tree and flew off with the other.
Season 12 for the Southwest Florida eagles kicked off in October and this isn't the first time M15 has had kids of his own.
He and his ex-wife Harriet raised two eaglets that are now soaring in the skies. But after the disappearance of Harriet, M15 was seen pulling the heartstrings of a different female eagle. But with the new arrival of a fresh season, the papa bird also brought a fresh lover – F23.
Cam leaders say M15 has been keeping company with her – perching together, staying close to one another and also engaging in mating behaviors.
Along with keeping physical touch and quality time alive, the two birds worked on restoring the nest together.
The Southwest Florida Eagle Cam has been live-streaming 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.
10 Tampa Bay's Courtney Holland contributed to this story.
