Florida News Audubon Center for Birds of Prey

Rescue Highlight: A Successful Foster Nest

EagleWatch volunteers are often the first ones to notice when an eaglet has fallen out of its nest, and thanks to the programs wide network, we are also able to find foster nests when the need arises.
Three eaglets sit in a tree.
Published October 22, 2025
This article is from Audubon Florida . Find Audubon near you here.

In April 2025, a fuzzy four-week-old eaglet fell out of his nest in Volusia County. Volunteers attempted to place him back in his nest, but because his sibling was much larger, it was not safe to do so—the smaller sibling would very likely be outcompeted for food, leading to starvation. It was clear this baby could not go back home.

EagleWatch to the rescue! The accurate nest data that EagleWatch volunteers collect all season long made it possible to find a suitable foster nest—a difficult prospect given how late it was in the season.

After reaching out to volunteers in several counties, a perfect family was found in Duval County. This pair of eagles lost their eaglet from their first nesting attempt. They tried again later in the season and had two eaglets that were the same size and growth rate as the foster baby.

EagleWatch team members sought the necessary federal, state, and landowner permissions to access the spacious nest, where an experienced, volunteer tree climber placed the eaglet. The eagles welcomed their new family member and, a few weeks later, all three eaglets fledged within 24 hours of each other.

Thanks to the resources of EagleWatch, this young eaglet received a new family and another chance to grow up and fledge in the wild.

This story originally appeared in the 2024-25 EagleWatch Annual Report.