Har riet remembered with memorial

Story by Chuck Ballaro

On Feb 2 Southwest F orida’s most famous eagle Harriet flew away from her nest on Bayshore Road and never returned, leav ng her mate to care for their two eaglets

On May 19, fans of the famed eagles celebrated the nearly 20 years Harriet lived at the Pr tchett Farm by donat ng a plaque for the eagle matriarch on the fence along the property of the Church of the Nazarene where many eagle viewers come to watch and photograph the eagles

The 2022-23 nesting season had nearly come to an end as E22 had not quite eft the nest and so the pair s youngest was present for the dedication watching from the church snag

The p aque reads “In memory of the Matriarch of SWFL our Queen Harr et, Last Seen February 2nd, 2023

The p aque was donated by Harriet and M15 SWFL Eagle

Addicts The photo was by Marie Chism Photography

Chism started a fundraiser on Facebook to create a memorial for Harriet shortly after it became apparent she would not be coming back.

Donations came via her Facebook fo lowers and they raised so much that the remaining money was donated to the Clin c for the Rehabil tat on of Wildl fe on Sanibel in Harriet’s memory

Ginnie Pritchett McSpadden, who was not involved with the plaque effort, said there are a lot of Facebook groups that get together to talk about the eagles.

“Everyone wants to try to memor a ize Harriet in their own way It’s hard because people process grief differently. If it gives people a way to cope, I think it’s nice ” Pritchett- McSpadden said “We’ve been so focused on getting through the season I was thinking afterwards we can do something a l tt e more special ”

It is unknown how old Harriet was when she d sappeared after chasing some intruders away from her nest The expected lifespan of an eagle in the wild is 25 to 30 years. However, Harriet was rumored to be a little or even a lot older. W ldlife Conservation Commission records had her at east 28 years old at the time of her presumed death

She had moved to the Bayshore ocation w th her previous mate, Ozz e, n 2006, but was at a nest across the street from the Pritchett farm for several years before that

“It was such a learning experience for everyone and the bond these eagles had was very special,” Pritchett-McSpadden said “We didn’t know what to expect To say we had achieved our original goa would be an understatement at this point,” sa d cofounder Andy Pr tchett online

The following season, a second camera was added, approximately 60 feet from the nest to capture images of the nest action outside the view of Camera No 1.

Viewers also got their first glimpse of tragedy as E3 died just six weeks after hatching At the t me, those watch ng were aghast but the Pritchetts warned viewers that they would see the best and worst nature can deliver

The 2014-15 season brought a second add t ona camera and even more drama E5 died just 25 days after hatching, eaving E6

The Only Eaglet To F Edge

Even more drama occurred on March 17 when Ozzie was found disoriented and injured by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commiss on officials and taken to the C inic for Rehabilitation of Wi dlife on San bel for evaluat on

After 97 days of care at CROW to recover from a broken left clavicle and a broken left coracoid bone, Ozz e was released back