FORT MYERS, Fla. — Southwest Florida's beloved eagle couple, Harriet and M15, welcomed their second hatchling overnight Friday into Saturday.
Egg 2, or E22, began to show its first pip, another term for crack, Thursday signaling the hatching process had begun. The official hatch time is still unknown at this time, Dick Pritchett Real Estate explained on its website that hosts the eagle cam.
The first glimpse of the hatchlings was shown in a tweet from @SWFLEagleCAM. "E22 is here! " the tweet reads in part.
A closer image of the two baby eagles was retweeted by @SWFLEagleCAM. The tweet reads, "Look who's joined the SWFL Eagle Family this morning, E22, Welcome little one!"
All eyes have been on the Southwest Eagle family since Harriet laid two eggs back in late November and early December.
"Egg 1" was laid on Nov. 29 and "Egg 2" on Dec. 2. Since then, Harriet and M15 have been taking turns patiently incubating the eggs. The incubation period for eagle eggs is about 35 days before hatching, Dick Pritchett Real Estate explains on its website that hosts the eagle cam.
The pair successfully raised two eaglets last year garnering a lot of attention from the public, who loves to see the live cams of the tiny birds growing and thriving.
"Harriet and M15 are a well-seasoned and bonded Eagle pair. They use their excellent skills and instincts to nurture and protect their family and territory," Dick Pritchett Real Estate said in a post online. "Through all the trials in their life, they have also had tremendous successes."
The Southwest Florida Eagle Cam has been live-streaming this nest since 2012. Following some downtime after Hurricane Ian, the live look returned — and the eagles rebuilt their nest. Today, it uses four discreet cameras that monitor the birds around the clock.
To keep an eye on the eggs and see what the eagles are doing, click on the video below.