Harriet shields hatching eaglet from camera's view
FORT MYERS (FOX 13) - Sometime before 8:40 p.m. Tuesday, an eaglet hatched in the Southwest Florida eagle's nest.
Unfortunately, mother Harriet shielded the moment from Southwest Florida Eagle Camera and thousands of online viewers around the world.
Harriet moved just long enough for us to get a view of E10's beak. He moved a little, just to let us all know he was there.
A pip appeared in one of two eggs being incubated by southwest Florida's favorite eagles - Harriet and her mate, M15.
The world has once again taken note of the pair made famous by the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam.
The pair has spent about a month taking turns sitting on the two eggs.
According to the eagle cam website, the first egg was laid at 3:24 p.m. November 19. The second egg appeared at 5:36 p.m. on the 22.
The eggs are incubated for between 34 and 39 days, so the eaglet should be ready to appear any time.
Last nesting season, Harriet laid two eggs, but only one of them proved to be viable. The entire world watched as Harriet and M15 took turns incubating the eggs, eagerly waiting until there was a crack, and finally, an eaglet called "E9," born on New Year's Eve. The second egg never hatched.
WATCH: Eagle cam: Harriet and M15's first eaglet hatches
E9 grew and flew out of the nest after an accidental fledge in March and was last seen in the area in May.
The nest is located on private property in Fort Myers owned by Dick Pritchett Real Estate. Though the eagles have been nesting in that tree since 2006, the eagle cam began live streaming during the 2012-2013 nesting season when Harriet laid two eggs with her first mate, Ozzie.
Sadly, Ozzie died in 2015 after a fight with another male eagle in the area.
In 2015, Harriet bonded with another eagle, M15, and they successfully hatched two eaglets in the 2015-2016 season.
MORE: Eagle cam: Harriet and M15 await hatching of two eggs
There are three cameras that capture the lives of the eagle family, and they are environmentally friendly and non-intrusive. The cameras are equipped with night vision and the glow that people see on the video at night is invisible to the naked eye and goes unnoticed by the eagles.
MORE FAQ ABOUT THE EAGLES' NEST
The eagle cam also now has an Eagle Cam app which can be downloaded for iPhone and Android devices.
WATCH THE EAGLE CAM BELOW (mobile users click here):