‘Completely gone’: Florida bald eagles rebuild nest following Hurricane Ian

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Bald eagles Harriet and M15 are no strangers to storms, so the pair immediately went to work when Hurricane Ian destroyed their North Fort Myers nest.

According to The Washington Post, Harriet and M15 (short for Male 2015) had already left their nesting tree the day before when Ian, a Category 4 hurricane, made landfall nearby on Sept. 28.

Winds from the storm destroyed the nest 60 feet up a slash pine tree situated in a private horse field.

Ginnie Pritchett McSpadden, the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam co-founder, told the Washington Post that the nest was “completely gone” and that “not a single stick was left” following Ian’s path of destruction.

After the storm had passed, Harriet and M15 returned and immediately went to work building the nest from scratch.

Moved by the resilience of the eagles, McSpadden told The Washington Post how we could learn from them.

“It’s just given many people hope and strength to see that while humans continue to build and strengthen, the eagles are doing the same. If they are taking the next steps, then we can, too,” McSpadden said.

According to McSpadden, the eagles have been using the slash pine tree since 2006 and have rebuilt it a few times.

In March 2016, the original nest began to fall apart. Harriet and her then-new mate, M15, began building a new nest in the same tree. In 2017, the pair rebuilt their nest again after Hurricane Irma damaged it significantly, according to USA Today.

The bonded pair have endured seven hurricane seasons together at their property, McSpadden told The Washington Post.

Harriet usually has laid her eggs by Thanksgiving. Still, she might lay her eggs later this year as the eagles work to build their nest from scratch, according to Breanna Frankel, rehabilitation manager and admissions specialist with the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife.

The Southwest Florida Eagle Camera is run by Dick Pritchett Real Estate and has been streaming the nest since 2012. Hurricane Ian took the camera offline, and the family is working on getting it going again.

For more information, visit the camera here.

©2022 Cox Media Group