‘Adventurous’ bald eagle babies capture fans’ hearts in Florida. Then tragedy strikes

UPDATE: The second bald eaglet, E25, died in the early hours of Jan. 28 a little over a day after the death of its sibling, the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam shared. The eagle started having seizures and fell out of the nest, according to moderators. Wildlife officials collected both bodies for testing.

The original story is below.

Two bald eagle siblings delighted thousands of viewers who watched the babies grow, explore and bond with each other on a nest livestream.

Then came heartbreaking news.

The two birds, known E24 and E25, are the subject of the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam Facebook group, which has amassed over 270,000 followers in 13 seasons dedicated to monitoring a bald eagle nest in North Fort Myers.

This is only the second mating season for the nest’s current eagle couple, although the dad nested with his previous mate, Harriet, at the same site for nearly a decade until she disappeared one day in 2023.

The new couple bonded in October 2023 and welcomed one chick the next spring.

Their second chick, E24, hatched Dec. 14 to great fanfare, and E25 followed three days later.

Observers noted the pair was getting along better than other eaglet siblings in the past and didn’t show much aggression toward each other. They also showed off their “adventurous” side, as the young birds quickly began approaching the edge of the nest to look out at the world around them.

The eagles began to shed their fluffy down feathers and develop their dark feathers at the five-week mark as they gained better coordination and control, one camera administrator, Dadsjazz, wrote in an update.

“E24 and E25 are feisty with short bouts of ‘don’t touch me’ and ‘this is mine’ sparring,” the administrator wrote. “Behaviors that are expected between siblings to establish their pecking order. Moments later, they are snuggling together.”

But 43 days after E24 hatched, tragedy struck.

“We are devastated to post E24 passed away suddenly this evening in the nest,” moderators of the group shared Jan. 26. “Showing signs of distress just a few minutes prior to passing (6:41pm), we have no concrete information beyond what was observed on the cameras.”

The cameras showed E25 settling down to sleep next to its sibling’s body later that night. In the morning, E25 got up and started checking on its sibling, lifting its feathers only to realize E24 was unresponsive.

Now, fans are mourning E24, leaving nearly 2,000 comments on the post announcing the death within the first day.

“I get so much joy in watching the eagle cam, but wow, a loss like this hurts so bad, breaks my heart,” one Facebook user commented. “May you rest in peace sweet E24.”

Many said they had been watching for years and were stricken by loss after loss, including the disappearance of Harriet in 2023. Some followers would watch the cameras daily or check in frequently.

“This is devastating. I’ve been watching E24 since he/she hatched,” another eagle fan wrote. “Definitely wasn’t expecting this, they were doing so well and the parents taking such great care of them.”

The camera is managed by Dick Pritchett Real Estate.

This story was originally published January 27, 2025 at 1:45 PM with the headline "‘Adventurous’ bald eagle babies capture fans’ hearts in Florida. Then tragedy strikes."