Southwest Florida Eagle Cam Hits 25 Million Views As “Fledge Watch” Kicks Off

Southwest Florida Eagle Cam Hits 25 Million Views As “Fledge Watch” Kicks Off
 
Baby eaglet, now 11 weeks old, will soon be soaring the skies of Southwest Florida

FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 11, 2014) –Over 25 million viewers from across the world will soon be getting a different perspective of the stars of the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam. E4, this season’s only surviving eaglet to parent eagles Ozzie and Harriet, is expected to “fledge” or take its initial flight in the next few weeks.  After its initial flight, the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam’s second camera (installed 30 feet away from the nest) will capture the eaglet around the nest area, learning to hunt and survive on its own.

“This season has been an emotional journey for our viewers and we expect it to continue as the beloved eagle family preps for this next phase of development,” says Andy Pritchett, the project manager for the camera and son of landowner Richard Pritchett. “After losing E3 to unknown causes in early February, E4 has thrived and successfully hit all its benchmark development goals. We expect it to fledge before the end of March.”

Since its inception nineteen months ago (September 2012), the Southwest Florida “Eagle Cam” has received more than 25 million views from over 200 different countries worldwide.  Dick Pritchett Real Estate  launched the camera that observes the eagles in their natural habitat in hopes of providing an educational and learning experience. The camera has had dozens of schools utilize the live streams in classroom learning, made possible by the many volunteers who moderate and manage the chat rooms, record videos, provide ground reports and post their daily observations of the eagles.

While the 2013-2014 eagle cam season will draw to a close after E4 fully fledges this spring, viewers can continue to love and remember the eagles until the return next year by viewing the videos and photos posted by viewers on the Official Southwest Florida Eagle Cam Facebook page found here.  The Southwest Florida Eagle Cam foundation was also created by the Pritchett family so viewers and philanthropists could donate to a fund to help maintain the camera for future seasons of live streaming.

About the Camera and Adult Eagles
To preserve the natural habitat of the eagles, the camera is positioned six feet above the nest and is attached to a tree limb, using no screws or nails. The noiseless camera also uses night vision.  This feature allows the camera to see at night without disturbing the eagles. The camera streams live video and can be viewed at http://www.dickpritchettrealestate.com . The camera was launched in September of 2012.

Harriet and Ozzie have been calling North Fort Myers their winter home for over twenty years and typically reside in the nest between the months of October and April.  This active pair of birds have been laying eggs and raising fledgling eagles for the past several years.  During season one of the SWFEC, the eagle couple, whom mate for life, hatched and raised two eaglets. 

About Dick Pritchett Real Estate
Founded in 1950 by Richard H. (Dick) Pritchett Jr., Dick Pritchett Real Estate has been serving Southwest Florida for over 60 years. Specializing in commercial, industrial and residential lots, Dick Pritchett Real Estate is a family owned and operated company that helps clients with every aspect of buying or selling real estate. Calling Southwest Florida home, Dick Pritchett Real Estate strives to provide customers with top notch service by helping clients find the location that best suits their current and future needs. For more information, visit our website at http://www.dickpritchettrealestate.com.

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