Celebrity eagle Harriet's first eaglet, E10, has hatched

UPDATE: Harriet’s first eaglet, E10, hatched at 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, according to dickpritchettrealestate.com who owns the eagle cam.

EARLIER: The first egg of this year's batch of North Fort Myers eaglets has started to hatch, and the second could hatch later this week. 

Products of Southwest Florida's most celebrated couple, the eggs this week will likely transform into to tiny, furry-like balls of eaglet. 

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"Around 8:30 (a.m.) the eaglet had made its first appearance with the crack in the egg, so now we'll just wait and see," said Virginia "Ginnie" Pritchett McSpadden, whose family owns the North Fort Myers property where the eagles nest. "The first process is the egg tooth on the eaglet's beak, and it's up to the eaglet how long that will take. It can take two hours or up to 48 hours, so it's a strenuous for the little guys."

Parents Harriet and M15 have been sharing incubation duties but will soon be forced to seek out massive amounts of fish and other critters to feed rapidly growing eagles. It only takes 90 days for an eaglet to become the size of an adult. 

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The first egg was laid on Nov. 19, with the second one coming Nov. 22. So since the first egg started to crack Tuesday, the second egg should begin to come apart soon. 

These eaglets, if both survive, will be dubbed E10 and E11, Pritchett McSpadden said. 

More than 115 million viewers have watched the family over the past six years. 

Ozzie and Harriet were the original couple, but Ozzie died after a series of fights with Harriet's new mate, M15. 

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Over the years the eagles and eaglets in this nest have been entangled in fishing line, attacked by great horned owls and entrenched in a love triangle. 

David and Kathy Kochanowski, of Jacksonville, stopped by the Pritchett property along Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers Tuesday to see the eagle, birds they typically watch from their home. 

"He'll probably fully hatch within a couple of days," Kathy Kochanowski said. "And egg No. 2 will (crack through its egg) any day now." 

They've been following the Harriet saga for several years. 

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"We followed Ozzie and Harriet and it was so emotional when Ozzie died," she said. "Then M15 came in. And he's been a great mate. And then with all that's happened (to the other eaglets). There's always something special happening here." 

The incubation period for bald eagles is about 35 days. 

The Kochanowskis were two of half-a-dozen or so people walking the perimeter of a fence that surrounds the Pritchett property. 

Cars can pull into the Pritchett driveway or at a nearby church, but Pritchett McSpadden said it's best for the eagles if people view them from home or a library or school. 

"We started to cameras to let them be an educational resource and we do want people to stay at home so the area can be as calm as it can be, especially at this delicate time," she said. "We want people to be able to see them, but it's best if they can do that from home."

Connect with this reporter: Chad Gillis on Twitter. 

Southwest Florida Eagle Cam

• 2012-13. Ozzie and Harriet rear two eaglets, and more than 16 million watched the stream during the first year. 

• 2013-14. Ozzie and Harriet again produce two eggs, but only one eaglet survives. 

• 2014-15. The couple produces two eggs with one eaglet survives. This the last season Ozzie would mate; he died after fighting with M15. 

• 2015-16. Harriet and M15, which stands for male 2015m produce two eggs. Both hatch and produce fledglings. 

• 2016-17. The new couple produces two eggs, but only one hatches and survives. 

· 2017-18. Couple lays two eggs.