One Eaglet Pecks It’s Way Out Of Shell
Floridians are seeing first hand an eaglet that has finally hatched in Fort Myers.
For days now the public has been watching American bald eagles Harriet and mate M15, short for “Male 2015,” patiently await their two baby eaglets. News stations around Florida have set up live-streams viewed by millions to keep an eye on the nest.
On Thursday the hatching process began for one eaglet, known as E9 or eaglet 9. Then at 7:33 a.m. Saturday the eaglet chirped its way through the shell, said the real estate company hosting the Southwest Florida Eagle Camera.
Honestly I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit waiting for these bald eagles to hatch on Facebook live.
— Shelly (@_MichelleJulia) December 31, 2016
Observers told NBC News that the other eaglet could hatch any day now.
Since 2012 the eagle cam has monitored Harriet’s nesting seasons. According to the company’s website, 16 million people tuned in to watch Harriet and her former mate Ozzie raise two eaglets from birth to fledge.
This year more than 60.8 million viewers turned to the eagle cam to get a rare, close-up glimpse of these wild birds, said the site.
These Eagles are the next Reality TV stars. Gonna be bigger than the Kardashians with more talent! https://t.co/7FkvUazPOb
— Charles Wieand (@CharlesWieand) December 30, 2016
The website said Harriet found M15, her current mate, after Ozzie died last year due to a fight with another male eagle in the area, said the cam’s website.
Ozzie and Harriet eventually bonded and had two offspring last December.
“The young eaglets continued to thrive and develop into juvenile eagles” before fledging in the spring, according to the site.
E9 and the other eaglet that has yet to hatch are part of Harriet and M15’s second nesting season in Fort Myers.
