The 2022-2023 nesting season at NEFL started off with consistency and filled expectations. Samson arrived on August 9th, 2022 (same date as the previous year), and Gabrielle (Gabby) arrived on September 12th, 2022 (just as she did two out of the previous three years).  They quickly re-kindled their bonding process through nestorations followed by frequent mating.  All observations indicated early egg laying.

 On November 24th, 2022, the neighborhood residents saw them mating at dusk in the Lumberyard (LY) soon after they had flown from the nest. Sadly, the last time Samson was seen, he was still perched in the Lumberyard seen by a resident. His unexpected disappearance came as quite a shock, as all indications looked positive. Samson was a special jewel, as he was an offspring of Romeo and Juliet who pioneered this nest.  Many viewers saw Samson hatching on these live cams.

Within a week, visiting mature eagles started appearing at the nest.  Up to twelve eagles were keenly and individually identified by the NEFL cam team.  Gabby was not very receptive to most, but she did warm up to one eagle identified as V3 (Visitor #3) who first appeared at the nest on December 10th, 2022.  Over the coming months Gabby and V3 became quite close, seen flying in and out of the nest together, and they were seen perching and roosting together off-site.  V3 mirrored Samson in many ways.  He was quite the nest protector yet a sweet eagle everyone grew to accept and love.  Gabby and V3 were never seen mating, but they displayed all the indications of a “pair”. 

Gabby left the Hamlet on her summer hiatus on May 6th, 2023.  V3 remained in the area claiming and protecting the nest.  He departed on May 15th, 2023.  Although NEFL had a sad turning point early in the season, V3 brought joy back to Gabby and all the Hamlet viewers.

As fall approached, our resident pair, Samson & Gabrielle (Gabby), returned right on schedule. Samson returned on August 9 and Gabby returned on September 12. They quickly started their “nestorations”, which is a huge part of their bonding process, delivering sticks, branches, and Spanish moss. This is their third season as a bonded pair, and they seem much more relaxed and in-tune to each other. Their nest “renovation” proves the skills they have achieved over the past two seasons.

They’ve frequently roosted through the night at the nest or in a tree together close by. It’s a joy seeing their union grow with the seasons. They’ve been seen mating and frequency increased as they lead us into the next part of the nesting season.

Gabby laid NE26 on December 17th at 5:18pm, shortly after Samson flew in with a fish and got his first view of the newly laid egg. On December 20th at 7:06pm NE27 was laid.

A pip was confirmed for NE26 on 1/22 at 8:20am, 19.75 hours later the hatch was complete on 1/23 at 4:06am. A pip was confirmed for NE27 on 1/24 at 5:03am, 21 hours later the hatch was complete on 1/25 at 2:24am.

On October 1, 2013, the American Eagle Foundation (AEF) started providing live video streaming from a wild eagle nest located near the NE coast of Florida. The nest is located about 80 feet up in a Slash Pine tree and was built by Bald Eagles Romeo & Juliet approximately 12 years ago. Through the years, the nest has grown considerably in size and weight, likely weighing close to a ton. Since 2008, Gretchen Butler, Volunteer for Audubon “EagleWatch” Program and the American Eagle Foundation “Eagle Nest Cam” Program, has closely monitored and documented important events associated with the resident eagles Romeo & Juliet and their offspring.

As the 2019-2020 season unfolds, a new chapter will be written about this nest and its resident eagles, and we will be watching with you, as we all continue to learn more about Samson and Gabrielle.

The educational impact of our high-definition nest cams has been phenomenal, providing unprecedented insight into the Bald Eagle nesting process.

This season, we have to abandon our familiar expectations, as there are two new eagles laying claim to the nest. We will all watch with great anticipation as Samson and Gabrielle write a new chapter in the history of NEFL.

This project also focuses on conservation, habitat protection, and the dangers that eagles still face in the wild. In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught. – Baba Dioum, International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

To enhance the educational experience, a moderated chat is embedded on the cam page, allowing viewers to comment and ask questions about the eagles. Knowledgeable and friendly moderators help guide the discussion and provide insight. AEF also encourages students and groups who are studying eagles or related topics to reserve time in the chat where their questions can be answered.

This has been a hugely successful endeavor, and we have welcomed many classrooms with students of all ages. Teachers across the nation have written us with glowing compliments about the positive impact this experience has had on their students.

One 4K cam and three high-definition cams are available on this page. Three are mounted on the nest tree and provide different views of the nest. One cam is mounted on a nearby tree at a lower angle and provides a long range view of the nest tree and the canopy. If you watch for a while, you may be lucky enough to see eagles flying to and from the tree, and when the eaglets get to a certain size, you will see them begin to branch and ultimately fledge the nest.

The four video cam views are accessed by clicking on “Other Views,” located at the bottom right of the screen when hovering over the video screen. The four views will be shown at the bottom of the screen as thumbnails, and you can simply click the view you want to watch.

At night, an infrared light is turned on. The eagles cannot see this light; it is outside their visible spectrum of light. Neither can humans. If you were at the nest site, looking up at the tree at night, you would only see light from the moon or stars. The infrared light is converted into visible light (black and white) by the camera.