Stay in the know about wildlife, water quality, and ecosystems on Sanibel and Captiva Islands and in Southwest Florida

Bald Eagle Nests Begin Hatching on Islands

January 14, 2025
bald eagle parents with chicks in nest on captiva

Bald eagle parents with chicks in the nest on Captiva on Jan. 14, 2025. Provided by our partners at Window to Wildlife.

In partnership with volunteers, SCCF monitors 10 bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) nests across Sanibel, Captiva, North Captiva, and just off-island during the nesting season from Oct. 1 to May 15.

The first nest of the season hatched in late December on Captiva (Watch the livestream >>), and we’ve since seen three more nests hatch on Sanibel! The remaining nests are incubating or are still in the nest-building phase.

 bald eagle with chicks on sanibel captiva by Gary biltgen
Image by Gary Biltgen

“Since Hurricane Ian in 2022, bald eagles on the islands have had great nesting success, fledging 9 eaglets in 2023, and 13 in 2024,” said SCCF Shorebird Biologist Audrey Albrecht. “We’re hoping for another successful year.”

All of our nests endured a rocky start to the nesting season with Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9, during which adult male Clive of the Captiva nest (pictured above) was caught by the Window to Wildlife camera apparently riding out the storm in the nest. His mate, Connie, was missing for a few days after the storm, so we were all happy to see them reunite and successfully produce offspring.

Bald eagles officially became America’s national bird on Dec. 24, 2024. The birds have been the official “national emblem” since 1782, and their designation as “national bird” formalizes how most Americans already view them.

dq eagles ed sauternes
Adult eagle with chicks at Sanibel’s popular “DQ nest,” which has stood strong for over 20 years. Photo by Ed Saternus.

After hatching, bald eagle chicks (or “eaglets”), stay in the nest for around 10-12 weeks. Both the female and male parents watch over the eaglets, especially during the first couple of weeks, and deliver prey directly to eaglets’ beaks after breaking it up into small morsels first.

Bald eagle females lay up to three eggs, usually a couple of days apart from each other. The first eaglet to hatch tends to have a size and survival advantage over its younger siblings, as it gets fed sooner, and the parents may continue to bring it a greater proportion of food than the later hatchlings.

Eaglets can typically fly within three months post-hatching and can live for up to 20 or 30 years in the wild.

Bald Eagles and Construction Activity

While bald eagles are no longer a listed endangered species, they are still protected by both state and federal eagle laws, including the Florida eagle rule, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.  

Any disturbance to bald eagles should not take place within 660 feet of an active nest without a federal nest disturbance permit and the required monitors in place. 

Homeowners and contractors can determine if their property is within the 660-foot buffer of an active bald eagle nest by viewing Audubon’s EagleWatch map with buffers.

Learn about obtaining permits for work around bald eagle nests.

SCCF’s bald eagle monitoring is conducted in coordination with Audubon Florida’s EagleWatch program. If you have any questions regarding eagles or want to share your eagle observations or photos, please email eagles@sccf.org.

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