Eaglet hatches in the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam nest. What happened to the other egg?
Southwest Florida residents and avid bird watchers got one last surprise from 2023.
Regional animal icons M15 and F23 hatched their first eaglet together just before the start of 2024, according to the Dick Pritchett Real Estate Eagle Cam website.
When did E23 hatch?
A New Year's Eve baby! F23 rose up and was visible from its egg at 7:03 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31. The following day, operators posted that E23 was "already active and asking for lunch."
The egg was first laid on Friday, Nov. 24, at 9 p.m.
What happened to the second egg?
According to livestream operators, the second egg's hatch has stalled and they no longer have seen movement. The following day, they posted that they would both "celebrate E23 and mourn the future life of Egg 2 and all that could have been."
The second egg was laid on Nov. 27 at 1:44 p.m.
How often has Southwest Florida Eagle Cam seen only one egg hatch in a season?
Over the course of 12 seasons, there have been times when viewers have seen a single eaglet grow up, such as season two, season three and season five.
During season two, both eggs did hatch, but the second eaglet died 41 days later because of unknown causes. For season three, a similar situation occurred when the second eaglet died 25 days after hatching.
In season five, the first egg was not viable and did not hatch at all.
What's next for E23? What are the plumage phases of an eaglet?
Enjoy the light grey fluff while it's here. According to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, young eaglets experience several different plumage phases before leaving the nest, such as:
Primary down — Eaglets are in the primary or natal down phase and are fluffy grey in color with a whitish head and throat.
Secondary down — Longer, thicker, dark-grey wool covering by their third week.
Transitional — During the transitional stage at age four to six weeks, the eaglet has its first dark brown-to-black “pin” feathers emerging on the back, shoulders, breast and wings.
Juvenile — Fully feathered by 10 weeks of age and exercises its wings by jumping up and down in the nest.
How old are eagles when they leave the nest?
At 10 to 12 weeks of age, eaglets are physically ready to fly. Most eaglets fledge around 12 weeks, which usually falls around the end of May or start of June.
Where is the SWFL Eagle Cam located?
The nest is located at 6601 Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers. Operators advise those who visit not to interfere or intervene with any natural events in the nest.
Where can I find the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam?
You can watch the livestream at dickpritchettrealestate.com or on YouTube at SouthwestFloridaEagleCam.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Southwest Florida Eagle Cam's F23, M15 see first eaglet together hatch
