SWFL Eagle Cam 10-13-23. Morning Mating! M15 & F23 Close views; Guard together, F23 collects grass.

Video combines ground and cam footage. Video opens with F23 and M15 arriving early. Both went to front pines. F23 heads to the nest tree, snapping a small stick off the nest tree on the way. M15 flies to the nest tree, missing two snaps on the way. F23 works in the nest on the rail sticks. When she moves out of the nest, M15 drops down and works on the rail sticks. Both end up back on the attic. Vocals from both, and mating on the attic, shown from the ground view and the cam view. M15 heads to the W pasture, and F23 follows. One of the neighbor eagles was perched on the cell tower, so M15 and F23 were watching over the territory from the W pasture snag. I left for a short time, and while I was gone, they delivered more grass, as seen in the comparison of the nest views. When I returned, F23 was on the ground gathering grass, and M15 was on an upper branch. F23 took the grass to the nest. After placing it, she perched on the spike. M15 was still above on an upper branch. Video includes on screen captions. Time stamps below, if interested. Click on any time stamps to advance to that part.
Thumbnail - Mating
Time stamps: Provided in DVR time; actual time is on the cam clock.
00:00. Opening. Video start recorded in low light.
00:07. F23 arrives.
00:27. M15 arrives.
00:58. F23 heads to the nest tree, gets a small stick on a snap.
01:51. M15 heads to the nest tree, two snap attempts.
03:00. F23 works on the nest rail sticks.
03:51. M15 to the nest, works on the nest rail sticks.
05:20. Cam1, M15 joins F23 on the attic.
06:43. Ground view. Mating!
08:37. Cam1 view of the mating.
10:13. Close views of F23 and M15.
12:50. Cam1. M15 leaves, followed by F23.
13:17. Ground view of M15 and F23 leaving the nest tree.
13:52. M15/right and F23 on a W pasture snag. (I left.)
14:32. Nest view.
14:46. Cam1. Adult flying in, this appears to be F23.
14:56. M15 and F23 work in the nest. More grass has been added since earlier cam view.
15:56. F23 to the ground, gathers grass.
16:33. Ground view; F23 gathering grass (I returned, she was on the ground).
16:49. F23 flies to the nest.
17:30. Cam1 view of F23 flying in with grass.
17:59. F23 on the spike.
18:13. M15 on an upper branch, watching over.
Thank you to the Pritchett family/SWFEC Team for the live cams, and sharing the eagles with all of us.
Watch here: (two options)
www.southwestfloridaeaglecam.com/
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The chat box has updates, links posted by the moderators, and updates throughout the day are posted above the chat box.
➡️ Eagle cam footage provided by SWFL Eagle Cam / www.SouthwestFloridaEagleCam.com
Video captured and edited by Androcat; ground video by Androcat.

[@lazy855]

Thank you. I love how healthy they both are. Looking forward to more of the same for many years to come.😘

[@parakeet8157]

Thanks for the updates. Nest is getting into shape, thanks to these 2 eager eagles. Getting ready for eggs💞😍 F23s "wet look" still GORGEOUS!

[@cheryln581]

These two certainly got their rhythm going. As always, I do enjoy the combination of ground and cam views and of course, the captions because I do get lost on their whereabouts. 😂 TY, Androcat! 🥰

[@androcat12]

@cheryln581. YW 🙂. Happy you like the captions. They are a lot of work lol! 🦅🦅

[@flapper883]

I really appreciate the captions too. Thanks for the work you put into them, @Androcat.

[@androcat12]

@flapper883. YW 🙂. I am happy you like the captions! They will help you learn to ID the eagles also. 🦅🦅

[@elizabethnewby-or7br]

Thanks for putting this one together! I enjoyed seeing them in the west pasture and F23 collecting grass!

[@androcat12]

Elizabeth Newby. YW 🙂. F23 is fun to watch. They were staying close to the another, a team, over in the W pasture. 🥰

[@donnakitchen6739]

Wishing them success!

[@melodyparker1279]

M15 needs to practice his branch snapping. Going to the ground and flying back up takes a lot of work. Poor F23 looks like she is having a bad hair day 😊 the nest looks wonderful! They definitely want to have babies. What a great video. TY.❤🦅🦅❤

[@susanmccarty5013]

Once again, it is great to see the ground and cam view combined. As I watch the cam, I have to guess where they might be going...(I am getting better at that-lol!) So appreciate the extra work it takes for you to do them. The highlights of this video to me is watching their interactions after mating including the soft vocals and how they look at each other. You captured that well especially from the ground view. You get 5 stars!!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you!🤗🦅🦅

[@androcat12]

@susanmccarty5013. YW 🙂. I am happy you enjoy the combo videos. Hopefully we get the pond cam soon to help with the action 🤞. And I am really happy you caught that moment between F23 and M15, following mating. I thought that was so precious! Thank you for the five stars! 🤗🦅🦅💜

[@debdew7125]

Beautiful video!! Thanks Androcat! Take care 💞😻

[@lb1460]

So much great footage lately. They've been busy!❤🦅🦅

[@mrsbigbug]

Thank you Androcat & hope you & everyone has a great weekend. 🦅💕🦅

[@androcat12]

prairieturtle. YW 🙂. Hope you have a lovely Sunday! 🌞🦅🦅

[@workhardplayharderx2]

THANK YOU!! Those close ups take my breath away, absolutely beautiful.

[@chriswings4021]

Thank you so much Cat! 🤗🙋🏻‍♀️

[@androcat12]

@chriswings4021. YW 🤗. Miss you, see you soon. The leaves should be falling soon 😉. 🦅🦅

[@erinbraun301]

Hopefully she is fertile and can have a clutch

[@PriscillaD225]

What a lovely way to start the day!!! F23 really likes those snaps and decorating the nest with greenery. Oh I do hope for a clutch.🐣TYSVM Androcat.💜🦅💜

[@Nightlife52]

Agree!!❤️🦅

[@androcat12]

@PriscillaD225. YW 🙂. Ha, F23 does love snapping branches. She really is fun to watch with those big wings, flying around. I do wish she would hit the W pasture instead of up front by the road and power lines, but I am pretty sure she doesn’t care what I want 😉. 🦅💜🦅

[@PriscillaD225]

⁠​⁠@@androcat12 I agree with you about the power lines and traffic 😱. Have a restful Sunday. 💜🦅💜

[@sergei7995]

They're good team. I watched it with great pleasure! Thank you so much!❤❤❤

[@androcat12]

Sergei. YW 🙂. They sure seem to be a good team, sticking close to one another. 🦅💜🦅

[@sergei7995]

@@androcat12 👍

[@De.D1]

@@sergei7995 Hi Sergei!👋 Have a blessed day!!!🙏🥰💕🦅

[@sergei7995]

@@De.D1 Hi my friend!🖐 Glad to see your comment. Have a good day!God bless you. 🦅🦅

[@De.D1]

@@sergei7995 Judy hasn't been commenting again...Hope she is well! Hope you are doing well too! I don't always comment but, it is nice to see your comments my friend!!! 🙏🥰💕

[@CUCHIE68]

OMG, what a beautiful lesson in the Circle of Life. Their natural instincts are very incredible. I cried to my husband, just how beautiful M15 chose F23. The see our SWFL Eagles continue on is a beautiful life lesson. Thank you all for your awesome shares……

[@androcat12]

@CUCHIE68. YW 🙂. Thank you for watching my videos. 🦅🦅

[@janicericciuti9035]

thanks

[@serapmehmet3346]

Thankyou Androcat ❤💕🤗 Wonderful to see Our Beautiful Couple working away!, How Beautifully in sync, They make everything look so easy! ❤, They both look so in control and Wow the Mating was a Bonus! 😅I'm so Thankful they are both well and Happy , ❤❤ And It shows!! 🙏🦅❤ Amazing Footage and so excited, Tysvm Androcat take care and I hope you and all Friends have a wonderful weekend 🤗💕💙🙏🦅❤💞🌹

[@PriscillaD225]

Happy Saturday dear Serap. Wonderful things happening at this nest. ❤ Praying for a peaceful season for them. Have a great weekend.🤗💜🦅

[@serapmehmet3346]

@@PriscillaD225 Hello Happy Saturday my Dear friend Priscilla 🤗❤🌹💞 Amen my friend 🙏 prayers for a Smooth season start to end 🙏 ❤, Thankyou for stopping by❤💕 Wishing you a Safe and Wonderful weekend take care 🌻🌸🥰❣🤗🌹💞🦅🦅❤

[@PriscillaD225]

⁠​⁠@@serapmehmet3346💜🦅💜🥰🌈

[@androcat12]

Serap Mehmet. YW 🙂. They have the mating part down, for sure 😉! They are wonderful to see working together, and following each other. 🥰🦅🦅

[@Terri_Stauffer]

They are so cute watching over territory and building up nest together. They are building a strong bond together too. I love the addition of the grass material to nest😊. Now if only they would bring in that moss still hanging over the rail from the other day😉.

[@androcat12]

Terri Stauffer. They seem pretty much inseparable right now 🥰. It's cool to watch their bond grow. It takes time, and we get to enjoy every minute. I pray every day nothing interrupts this season. She seems to like the moss. Hope she brings a bunch of it in! 🙏🏻🦅🦅💜

[@karenthompson8151]

These two are working amazingly together. She is learning a lot from M15. Hopes and prayers for many many successful breeding seasons for them

[@flapper883]

Very nice video, @Androcat. Thank you. After they mated F23 made soft vocals @M15 twice and they looked at each other. I thought it was sweet. They are a beautiful pair of eagles.

[@androcat12]

@flapper883. YW 🙂. I am glad you caught that. 🥰

[@De.D1]

Wow! Thank you Androcat for this wonderful video. Bright and early! 😀 Do you ever run into Vickie? Does anyone have an estimated age on F23? M15 had many females to choose from. Did they do the flying spiral to the ground maneuver to decide? Sorry for all the questions...Have a wonderful blessed day!!!🙏🥰💕🦅🦅

[@androcat12]

@De.D1. YW 🙂. I do run into Vicki. She is the official videographer for SWFEC, part of their team. She is a wonderful lady, and probably the only person who loves the eagles more than I do 😉😁. I have not seen any photo/video posting where someone has captured M15 and F23 in a spiral. In courtship, they release from the spiral. In territorial battling, they sometimes hit the ground 😔. I am not sure how much "choosing" M15 gets to do. The females battle it out for who is the strongest. We saw something very similar at another cam a few years back. The resident pair was not there when cams went live. A strong female, the constant for the season, was there. She had to wait all season while the males battled it out. She did seem to prefer some males over others, from my human perspective. That did not seem to matter, as the males continuously chased and fought. It was a very difficult season to watch, with many injuries to the males, and the death of one. 😔

[@De.D1]

@@androcat12 Wow! Thank you so much for the detailed explanation on the mating process, I've seen and read about it!!! I was wondering if M15 went through that with many other females before being with F23. Also, I am amazed that Vickie can talk and film the eagles at the same time. She has such a sweet way of explaining while filming and always talks to them like they are listening! She seems to have that special relationship with them. Bless her heart! 💕 You all are amazing and a blessing to keep all of us informed what's happening. I know it's a lot of work and time consuming. I don't have Facebook so I see others post photos on line. Your videos are very much appreciated! Blessings!!!🙏🥰😇🦅🦅

[@pjb12025]

Each day that passes is another day of their journey together as a strong couple. I love it when she is watching over the nest and he is above her watching over her and the nest. I can’t wait for the days when M15 brings in fluff and places it around her as she is nesting on the eggs she will lay. It will be interesting to see how easily F23 will give up her place to let M15 incubate/brood. He loves doing that but who knows how she will feel about that LOL. Praying she is mature enough to produce eggs. I miss Harriet and I wish we knew what happened to her, but this new union is a solid one which makes me happy as l am sure it does everyone !! When the babies hatch, they how will they be named ?? Will it be MFE 1, 2, etc?? I wouldn’t think it would be E23 etc as those previous were Harriet’s offspring. Time will tell. Let the nest get completed and the matings continue and may eggs be the end result !!!! 🥚🥚🐣🐣🦅💙🦅💜Thank you Androcat. Great video 😉

[@androcat12]

@pjb12025. YW 🙂. It will be interesting to see F23’s behavior! We know M15 loves his time on his eggs. She is an adult eagle, so she is plenty mature enough to produce eggs. We see subadults (4 years old) on cams in breeding pairs. Rose at WRDC was a subadult Mom last season. I believe the Pritchett’s will continue with the eaglet number sequence, but we will have to watch and see if they do. Harriet ❣️ will always be in our hearts. I still miss her every day. 🦅💜🦅

[@pjb12025]

@@androcat12 Harriet was the best Mom l think have even seen out of all the nests l have watched. Ozzie and M15 made it easy for her to devote herself to her Eaglets because they were such good providers! One thing about Harriet, you always knew when “the foot” was gonna strike 😂😂😂 Thanks for your reply. I do hope they continue with the eagles number sequence as it’s just easier all the way around !!! 🦅💙🦅💜🫶

[@kenzaelbouaichi5668]

❤❤❤❤😂

[@user-zt5cg8ng8v]

Всему своë время, правильно говорится. Вот время настало построить новое гнездо. А то всё рассыпалось, развалилось. ❤

[@waynecharles1359]

Making babies in the future lol

[@kimberley7953]

Dont you find it strange the eagles have not been around last night or this morning Hope all is ok

[@androcat12]

@kimberley7953. They may not have eaten as much during those two windy days with rain so went fishing/hunting instead, they may have been guarding territory, or they may have just taken a break from building. As you now know, all is good!

[@LeeleeGilbert]

It’s almost violent mating. Seems hard for the female to stay on the branch. I wonder if the eagles mate to have the clutch or for pleasure?

[@androcat12]

@LeeleeGilbert. Pairs may "bond" year round, if they are in areas where pairs stay together all year. In some areas, it appears they separate for a time period during the "off season". Bonding during the off season may include mating (outside the fertile window of breeding season), where there is no cloacal kiss. I am providing a link, if interested, which includes some videos you may find interesting. From Raptor Resource Project: Copulation Male eagles, like most male birds, lack an external phallus. Eagle mating goes something like this. An eagle (usually but not always the male) approaches its partner, vocalizing, swishing its tail, and leaning into or looming over its object of desire. An uninterested female (not now, dear!) might respond by standing up and starting what looks like a breast-bumping competition. An amorous female tilts forward, allowing her mate to land with his curled feet lodged on her back. She twists and moves her tail feathers to one side so he can press and twist his cloacal opening around her cloaca, passing sperm from his cloaca to hers. Intense, rapid vocalizations often precede and accompany mating, which takes seven to twelve seconds." Link: www.raptorresource.org/2023/02/08/courtship-copulation-and-other-things-romantic/

[@teresac6440]

Seems like the internet connection cannot keep up with the new high powered cams. So much jumping and pausing. Maybe the isp will beef things up so the feeds are better. 🤞

[@androcat12]

@teresac6440. Yes, there are some issues that came with the 4K, so hopefully they get it resolved soon. They are aware. 🙏🏻🦅🦅💜

[@Loveraptors101]

Does M have a name beside M15 ?

[@androcat12]

@kellyschultz1012. I call him Dad when he has E’s. No, M15 is for Male/2015, the year he became the mate to Harriet. The Pritchett family switched to numbers during Season 2, when they were in the midst of a naming contest for E3/E4. Little E3 perished during the naming contest. It has been numbers since.

[@ChanelNo005]

Poor F23 she just looks miserable after every mating experience. She seems to always give him “the look” have you ever noticed that? 😂 I feel bad for her. Like someone else said it does look so violent. Bless her heart. There is definitely no pleasure in it for her. Do they mate year round or just right now when it’s time for Eaglets? I sure hope not for her sake. Also, do you think they know what they are saying to each other when they chatter back and forth? Do you think F23 knows why they are continuously fixing the nest since she’s never had Eaglets before?? ♥️🦅🦅♥️

[@androcat12]

@ChanelNo.05. We don’t know for a fact this is her first breeding season. We will likely have some more clues if they have a clutch/eaglets. We base our “educated guesses” by comparing behavior we have seen with known first time parent eagles. IMO, the mating is not violet; it is simply how birds bind/mate. Bonding can occur year round, less often than breeding season it appears, and there is no “cloacal kiss”, as they are not in a fertile period. F23 knows what she is doing (nest building), as she is driven by instinct and hormones. As with all animals, they understand one another through their communication.