FORT MYERS, Fla. – Eagle lovers woke up to sad news Wednesday morning after a famous Florida bird of prey family lost a little one.
Morning video showed the eaglet lying on the bottom of the nest and the eaglet’s mother, Harriet, standing over her progeny. The eagle family can be observed online on the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam.
“It is with much sadness that SWFEC must share with our viewers that E14 passed away sometime during the night,” the webcam operator said. “Our SWFEC family mourns the loss of this special eaglet that brought such joy to us all in the short time they had on this earth.”
The two adult eagles, known as Harriet and M15, produced two eggs this year. The first did not hatch.
“As soon as we heard about what was going on with E14 we contacted the appropriate parties to make sure they are monitoring the situation,” said Andy Pritchett, who runs the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam with his sister.
The eaglet born to Harriet and M14 in the North Fort Myers nest has died. A notice on the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam site announced the death Wednesday. (Photo: Special to The News-Press)
Pritchett said he contacted the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife in Sanibel once he heard the eaglet was having trouble.
The clinic received approval for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the remains from the nest.
“A radiograph was taken of the body which did not reveal any foreign objects, such as a fishing hook, in the body of E14 and the staff member that retrieved the remains did not find any fishing hooks or line in the nest,” a clinic news release says.
Dr. Heather Barron, left, CROW medical and research director, and Missy Fox, certified veterinary technician, work Tuesday night to save an eaglet that had hatched at the end of December in an eagle's nest in North Fort Myers. The nest have become popular with views who kept up with an eagle pair via an "eagle cam" mounted next to the nest. The eaglet had been observed bleeding Tuesday although it was not known how it suffered its injuries. (Photo: CROW)
The clinic will send the remains of E14 to the University of Georgia’s Southeast Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study for more evaluations.
When Pritchett found out about E14, he temporarily shut the cameras down. They are back online now though, and viewers are back to watching Harriet and her partner.
The cameras have been set up since 2012, but the eagle family has been on Pritchett’s property in North Fort Myers since 2007.
“It’s something we’ve really grown to enjoy, and I think it’s something the community has fallen in love with and we really enjoy doing it,” Pritchett said.
Eagle cam: Famous bald eagle Harriet’s second eaglet hatches
The eagle cam’s audience sent condolences on a Facebook page dedicated to the live feed.
“So sorry to read this,” one poster under the name Vivian Lucas wrote. “Glad we got to see the little one for a time even though it was brief. Thanks to everyone who works so hard to allow us to enjoy eagle life.”
Follow Michael Braun on Twitter: @MichaelBraunNP
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