One month later: Iconic SWFL eagle, Harriet, remains missing from nest, community mourns

It's been over one month since Harriet, a beloved Southwest Florida eagle, has been spotted by either officials or her thousands of adoring fans viewing livestream cameras.

The animal icon shocked both the community and the nation with her sudden disappearance from her North Fort Myers nest. They watched as her mate M-15 was left to care for their eaglets, E21 and E22. Comments and posts surged throughout social media, supporters holding out hope that the matriarch would be spotted and return home.

However, Harriet has yet to return and the nest now has a new normal with the single dad running the show.

More Harriet, SWFL nest newsDoes SWFL Eagle Cam's M-15 have a new girlfriend? What you need to know about 3 intruders

A look back at Harriet's historyHarriet's History: Timeline of beloved eagle and her family's life in North Fort Myers

The Southwest Florida Eagle Cam, which has been livestreaming her life since 2012, released a tribute to her on Thursday, saying Harriet is "forever in our Hearts, flying high and free."

"It’s been exactly one month since the last sighting of our beloved Harriet," livestream officials posted. "While we may never know her final resting place; her legacy will continue to grow as we cherish the beautiful moments observed on the cameras and via ground photos over the past 12+ years. We love you Harriet."

Here's a look at what's gone on since Harriet was last spotted, along with reactions from the community and what's potentially next for nest:

The day Harriet disappeared

Harriet was last seen on Feb. 2, flying northwest to chase off intruders near the nest on Bayshore Road. When she didn't return after 12 hours, it became noticeable that something was wrong.

Ginnie Pritchett McSpadden, cofounder of the livestream, told The News-Press early on that it wasn't like Harriet to be gone from the nest for too long.

"Usually it's way less than that," Pritchett McSpadden said. "This behavior really has never been seen before. Unfortunately, we are not sure if and when she will return."

It's also unusual since eagles don't leave their mates during a nesting cycle, with retired eagle biologist Jim Beever saying they're sequentially monogamous.

"She would not," Beever said when asked by if Harriet would leave for any other reason than injury or death. "It’s likely something has happened to her, and there’s been a lot of different ideas about what can happen to an eagle when it is out foraging."

The hunt for Harriet commences

After livestream founders became aware of her disappearance, the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) and Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission officials spearheaded the search for Harriet.

While she wasn't marked or tracked, the livestream's website had a guide to Harriet's identifying markings. Searching high and low for any sign of her, officials said they came up empty handed.

"We've searched our property many times and many viewers have mentioned that they have done their own searches on on public property … unfortunately, we've just haven't found anything related to her," Pritchett McSpadden said back on Feb. 6, nearly a week into their search.

In the meantime, fans banded together during this time to find Harriet and share information. Photos of bald eagles from throughout the state flooded fan-pages, many asking if it could be the bird they've been searching for. Yet, after sending tips and findings to FWC, these were proven to be dead ends.

Theories on her whereabouts also continued to soar, with both fans and animal experts offering their opinion on where she could be.

Throughout social media, fans posted various photos of Harriet from that same Feb. 2 day, allegedly coughing up a fishing line. Several theories have been brought up claiming that she could have been injured from the fishing line; however, nothing has been confirmed by officials or livestream operators.

'Father of the Year': M-15 steps up

M-15 quickly won the hearts of fans, if he hadn't already, by stepping up to take care of and protect the 2-month-old eaglets by himself.

Viewers watched Harriet's mate of eight years chase intruders away from the nest and bring back food for the babies, many times not taking a single bite for himself.

Pritchett McSpadden told The News-Press while it was rare for one eagle to successfully raise two babies, M-15 has been a superstar and she has faith in him.

"He has got to be dealing with the same emotional kind of detachment that we are with Harriet missing, but he has really stepped it up ... He's doing an amazing job of keeping intruders at bay and keeping the eagles fed," Pritchett McSpadden said.

Beever had also elaborated on why it's difficult but possible for a M-15 to care for it's young, saying M-15 is young and has had successful nesting seasons.

"It’s going to be tough for the male to raise two chicks, but it’s possible," Beever said. "And we’ll just have to see what happens. He has been covering them when it’s been cold and rainy, and he has been feeding them. If Harriet never comes back and we never find out what happened to her, he’s likely to come back to the same territory with a new mate."

As of March 3, both M-15 and the eaglets are thriving and healthy. E21 and E22 have doubled in size, almost completely rid of their white fluff and showcasing sleeker brown feathers.

New females closing in on empty nest

While the nest saw a lot of intruder activity since Harriet's disappearance, the three female eagles quickly gained the attention of both viewers and M-15.

They started appearing a little over two weeks after Harriet's disappearance, with Pritchett McSpadden saying they noticed M-15 didn't shoo them away after they had landed and didn't seem too worried by their presence near the nest.

Originally dubbed as "the frequent visitors," the eagles have been seen hanging around the nest, hoping to score an extra bite of food when M-15 drops off delivery for the eaglets. Beyond some tense moments here and there, officials said they are not a threat to the eaglets.

Now, one female is set apart from the rest, known as Rogue Eagle #3 (abbreviated to R23-3). Per the SWFL Eagle Cams, she has been around the nest and has started to get along with the eaglets. On Feb. 24, they saw R23-3 offer bites of a fish to E-21.

Fans reactions one month later

In the midst all of these changes, the public is still mourning the loss of the beloved matriarch. Old pictures and fanart of Harriet have flooded social media, with fans proudly proclaiming their love for the icon and her legacy.

Some viewers still occasionally ask the question, asking "Where is Harriet, what happened to her," only to be left with more questions than answers.

Mostly, fans are choosing to post about their favorite memories of Harriet in their decade of watching the nest. Many still watch the livestream daily and hype up M-15 in this new chapter of fatherhood, sharing clips of his highlights throughout the month.

Harriet's legacy

While Harriet first rose to prominence through the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam, she was first spotted on the Pritchett McSpadden family's property back in 1990 with then-mate Ozzie. Through the years, the family watched as the pair built nests throughout their land, settling on a tree off Bayshore Road.

In 2012, the family decided to hang cameras and livestream the nest. Gaining more than 140,000 subscribers over the course of 11 seasons, the livestream was an instant hit among community members and nature lovers.

Millions tuned in over the years to get a glimpse into the daily life of an eagle family, watching Harriet rule over the nest with her mate and raise her many eaglets to adulthood. From Ozzie's stay in rehab and the arrival of M-15 to Hurricane Ian's destruction of the nest, many welcomed Harriet into their home and considered her part of their family.

Harriet's life has also inspired books, some by Pritchett McSpadden and another by local author Lauren Roberts.

Pritchett McSpadden told The News-Press that Harriet has meant a lot to viewers over the years and it has been great to see the reaction from fans, wanting to help in any way possible.

"We were saying a few years ago that she was 29, 28. The average lifespan of an eagle is under 30 years so all this time that we've had with her, over these last 11 seasons, is so amazing," Pritchett McSpadden said. "I don't want this to be the end of Harriet's story, but if it is, I think we are just very appreciative and grateful that we got to watch her for so long."

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: SWFL Eagle Cam's Harriet still missing a month later. What we know