Wildlife Rescue of Dade County Eagle Nest Cam

Live Feed of Wild Bald Eagle Nest in Miami-Dade County, Florida

Rita the female has a silver federal band on her right leg, and a green over black band on her left leg. Ron the male has no bands. Rita is larger than Ron. They live in the wild.
This EagleCam is made possible by a partnership between Wildlife Rescue of Date County and ZooMiami, with the generous support of the Ron Magill Conservation Endowment and your donations to both organizations. ZooMiami hosts the cameras on the Zoo page, https://www.zoomiami.org/bald-eagle-cam.

Why was the nest constructed?
The pair's previous nest was built in an unstable spot about 95 ft. up in an Australian (Casuarina) pine tree, and the nest collapsed in spring 2021 after a period of heavy storms, dropping two baby eagles on the ground. On March 13, 2021, Ron Magill of ZooMiami and Lloyd Brown from Wildlife Rescue of Dade County rescued one of the baby eagles. Sadly, one eaglet did not survive the fall. The surviving eaglet sustained a broken wing, had surgery, was rehabilitated at Wildlife Rescue of Dade County, and released on August 21, 2021 near Everglades National Park. Brown and Magill obtained permission from US Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) to install the secure platform for these eagles, out of concern that the eagle pair would try to rebuild the old nest, only to have it fail again.

How was the nest constructed?
The USFWS granted approval for the installation of the platform and cameras. The nest base is a 5 ft. diameter wooden Papasan chair, shown to be successful in other eagle nests. It was lined with plastic mesh for airflow and drainage. Small sticks and dried grasses were added to make it more inviting. The constructed nest is located in the same tree, in a more stable spot, about 10 ft. below their previous broken nest. It is braced with 2x4s between the trunk and a few sturdy branches.

Where is the nest located?
The location is being kept private for the protection of the eagles. It is located in Miami-Dade County, and is the first nest to be monitored with cameras in the county. We kindly ask that the local community refrain from giving any location information on social media, so as to protect them and the nest area.

What kind of cameras were installed?
Two state of the art, high-definition cameras but at this time only one is available to view by the public.

Will there be sound?
There was a very small window of time between nesting seasons for work to be done on site. The platform and cameras were installed just before the eagles returned. Sound capability will be added when the 2021-22 season is complete.

What are the Eagles Names?
The eagles are named Ron and Rita after Ron Magill and his lovely wife, Rita. The human Ron is the Communications Director for ZooMiami and founded the Endowment that funds this EagleCam.

What is Rita's history?
Rita was banded as a pre-fledge juvenile on March 16, 2011, when she and her sibling fell, uninjured, from their nest in Everglades National Park. As it was a safe location, the eaglets were left on site and raised by their parents. We estimate she hatched in Jan 2011, making her 11 years old in Jan 2022.

What is Ron's History?
Ron is unbanded, but photo comparisons and his behavior lead us to believe he is the same male that partnered with Rita when they were first reported in Sept 2015.

What is their nesting history?
2015-16 season: First seen in Sept. 2015 at a different location; Rita identified by her bands. We assume the male was Ron. No data on nest success.
2016-17: Photos and video showing they fledged a youngster from that nest in Mar-Apr 2017. The tree with that nest fell down.
2017-18, 2018-19 seasons: no data
2019-20: Discovered at this new nest location in Feb 2020. They were not successful this season.
2020-21: They produced two eaglets. One perished in the fall from the nest and the other was injured with a broken wing. With permission from USFWS, the rescue took place on March 13th, 2021. The rehabilitated eagle was released on August 21, 2021.
2021-22: First egg laid Nov 24, second egg laid Nov 27, third egg laid Dec 1. We anticipate the chicks will hatch between Dec 27 and Jan 6.

Once an egg is laid, how long does it take to hatch?
33-36 days.

How long before an eaglet fledges?
10-14 weeks with an average of 12 weeks.

How can I Support these eagles and other wildlife?
To donate to Wildlife Rescue of Dade County:
on our website at http://www.Dadewildliferescue.com/donate.php
via PayPal to paypal.me/wildliferescueofdade
via Venmo to username @Wildlife-RescueOfDadeCounty
via CashApp to $wildliferescue
To donate to the Ron Magill Conservation Endowment:
Ron Magill Conservation Endowment (zoomiami.org)
Please see the ZooMiami page for more information at this link: https://www.zoomiami.org/bald-eagle-cam
Please follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildliferescuemiamidade
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildliferescuedadecounty/

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