Harriet lays egg, eagle season begins
It’s about a month later than usual, but Southwest Florida’s most famous eagle pair, Harriet and mate M15, are about to become parents once again.
Harriet laid the first of what is expected to be a two-egg clutch on Wednesday at around 5 p.m. At press time on Thursday, the second egg had not been laid. If the usual three days between laying holds out, that will happen Saturday.
Assuming the usual 35-day incubation period, the eggs will hatch sometime in late January.
Harriet has always laid two eggs per clutch in the nine seasons the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam has been in existence. They were mostly laid just before Thanksgiving and hatched around Christmas.
Harriet and M15 also had a late clutch in 2015 following the death of Harriet’s former mate, Ozzie, which happened at about this time.
There is a good reason for the late egg arrival. Last year, Harriet laid two eggs in November. One egg wasn’t viable. The other egg hatched but the eaglet died in January after apparently ingesting rat poison through a poison-contaminated meal.
Harriet and M15 produced another clutch in late February which hatched in early April. Both eaglets survived and left the nest in the late summer.
After considering another location at Pritchett Farm on Bayshore Road to build a new nest, the eagles returned to the original nest where cameras provide a live stream.
Typically, Harriet has been the one to incubate the eggs. On Thursday afternoon, it was M15, who showed he knew the ropes of egg minding by rolling and aerating the eggs frequently for even incubation.
To watch the goings-on in the Pritchett Farm nest, visit www.swfleaglecam.com .
To reach CHUCK BALLARO, please email news@breezenewspapers.com