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 into the wild near the nest.

On Sept 27, after he was seen fighting with a male eagle in the area, Ozzie was found injured and again admitted back into CROW’s care, where he died two days later

Enter M15

A new male, dubbed M15, bonded and mated with Harriet ahead of several other suitors. The 2015-16 season turned out to be an interesting one.

After the season started a month late, one of the eaglets, E8, had to be cut free from the nest after getting monofilament fishing line wrapped around its leg and foot just two weeks after hatching E8 was taken to the CROW clinic for treatment and released back to the nest three days later

Meanwhile, the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam’s future was placed in doubt when the nest deteriorated and collapsed. Also, after an owl attack, E8 was again hospitalized after being found with a broken leg The eaglet spent three months at CROW before being released

The 2016-17 season, after Harriet and M15 returned to rebuild the nest, saw Harriet produce another unviable egg and E9, who thrived being the only chick, earned the record for the shortest time to fledge.

After two more successful seasons, 2019-20 proved heartbreak and hope The first clutch of eggs produced an unviable egg and the death of E14 from a broken blood feather.

For the first time, Harriet produced a second clutch, which hatched just as COVID came around at the end of March This time, both eaglets fledged

In 2020-21, eaglets E17 and E18 were removed from the nest by CROW after contracting Avian chlamydiosis, a bacterial disease commonly carried by birds

Throughout all this, the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam has added two more cameras, one close to the pond to capture the activity going on there, and a fourth is the Cam 360, located in the nest tree and the first-ever live camera in history to capture a 360degree look into a bald eagle’s daily activity This cam allows you to click and drag to any viewing area

These cameras have shown many things that were overlooked over the years We are now able to see the moment the eaglets fledge, close-ups of the eggs when we see a pip and shots of where the birds are on the tree, as well as the encounters with the lone natural enemy of bald eagles the great-horned owl, a species which has constantly knocked the local pair off their tree, perhaps to take their nest This year, a pair of the owls raised a brood of their own on the Pritchett property in nest built and abandoned by the eagles.

“We have come so far and our story has evolved so much with Harriet and Ozzie and Hope and Honor to now and so much in between,” PritchettMcSpadden said “We’ve had life soaring and some death Our goal was to bring the life of these raptors to the population and it’s been a job well done ”

The future?

What does the future hold for the Eagle Cam after the death of Harriet?

It’s anyone’s guess

Pritchett McSpadden told WGCU recently that she isn’t sure what will happen after the season winds down.

“We have to wait and see what happens in the next several months. Whoever ends up in the nest will have big talons to fill A lot of people pulled from her (Harriet's) strength and energy That’s why the cams have been so popular,” Pritchett McSpadden said

The cameras will be brought down for maintenance and repairs, with this year being especially key because of damage caused by Hurricane Ian

As for next season, Pritchett McSpadden said right now next season is a go, depending on what Mother Nature has in store for the nest.

The big question is whether M15 will return, this time with a mate Or if a mature offspring will return to the nest Or if the owls take the nest and they start an owl cam Pritchett McSpadden said she doesn’t know what will happen

If M15 does return, Pritchett McSpadden said she would finally give the male eagle the name it de- serves, as Ozzie got She said she would get help from the community to choose a name for M15 and his new mate.

They wanted to do that this past year, but with everything that happened with the storm, it never came to pass

“We just know we are thankful and very proud of this journey Being able to talk about it today is very cool,” Pritchett McSpadden said