Pip confirmed, hatch eminent, at NFM eagle nest
Southwest Florida’s most popular eagle pair, Harriet and M15, are about to become parents again. Now, the question is will one or both eggs hatch.
A “pip” was confirmed at around 2:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon on the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam. A close-up view of the nest clearly showed a small crack on the shell.
At press time, it was unknown which egg pipped, or began to hatch. Ginnie Pritchett McSpadden said the eggs had unique markings which would allow them to determine which egg it is.
“It’s tough to tell them both apart when they’re white and round. We have a lot of great photos to confirm what egg it is,” McSpadden said. “We have a stream on them 24/7, so we have a lot of shots of markings. We’ll just go to the photos.”
The news sent the eagle watchers across the globe into a frenzy. More than 50,000 viewers, including some from as far away as Germany, appeared on the SWFEC website to chat and watch the eventual hatching of the egg, which is expected about 24 hours after the first pip.
Nearly all of them expressed their excitement, while asking the question everyone wants to know the answer to: Is it the first egg laid, which spent a short time buried in the nest, or the second?
“We’re in shock by how it’s blown up over the last couple days. People are learning about this special occasion and hopefully appreciate about them a little more.”
Early in the afternoon, Harriet made numerous loud calls to M15, which stirred interest online. At around 2:30 p.m. the nest cam gave a close-up look at one of the eggs which showed the first sign of a crack.
The eggs were not visible for the most part, as Harriet incubated them much of the afternoon.
“The eagles can hear what’s going on in the egg. They have natural instincts that tell them the eaglets are making noises,” McSpadden said. “They know more than we do.”
The pip came on day 37 since the first egg was laid, and a little over one day before the second egg was due to hatch, which would schedule the hatch for about its due date. Eggs have gone as long as 40 days before they hatch.
Harriet laid her first egg on Nov. 22 and her second three days later.
During that time, it was discovered the first egg was buried in the nest. It wasn’t retrieved for nearly a week. It was incubated anyway.
There was speculation the eagles did this intentionally to delay the hatching of egg No. 1 until around the time the second egg was scheduled to hatch. Such behaviors have not been seen by Harriet before, so that scenario seemed unlikely.
The eagles will continue to incubate the eggs until they hatch or it becomes clear an egg is no longer viable. One or the other of the adults would then dispose of the egg or make it part of the nest.
For those who want to keep current on the Bayshore Road nest hatch watch, visit dickpritchettrealestate.com/eagle-feed.html