Chad Gillis

The (Fort Myers, Fla.) News-Press

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The second of two bald eagle eggs hatched Wednesday evening at a famous eagle nest in Florida.

About 12,000 people were watching online Tuesday morning when an eaglet known as E10 broke through its egg shell. E11 followed Wednesday just before 4:30 p.m.

The tiny gray birds are still resting in the warmth of the nest.

"And I believe I saw a fish on the nest, so E10 got his first meal from M15 (the father)," said Virginia "Ginnie" Pritchet McSpadden, whose family owns the land where the eagles live and operates the stream camera system. "Over the next couple of days we'll see many more fish brought into the nest, and both mom and dad will take turns feeding the little guys."

The eggs are the offspring of Harriet, the bald eagle, who been in the spotlight for six years when an "eagle cam" was placed above their nest in North Fort Myers, Fla.

November 2017:Nesting season begins: Harriet, the famous Florida bald eagle, lays an egg

The lives of these eaglets and their parents will be streamed online for the next several months as the eaglets, should they survive, grow from tiny little fluffs of eaglet to full grown but still unskilled juveniles.

Harriet and M15 are broadcast on the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam, which is in its sixth year.

The series started with Ozzie and Harriet, a long-time North Fort Myers pair that may have started breeding as early as the 1990s, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission records.

Ozzie died after a series of fights with Harriet's new mate, M15.

October 2017:Famous bald eagles survive storms and begin rebuilding

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.

E10 made its first appearance about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Pritchet McSpadden said. E10 hatched at 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, according to dickpritchettrealestate.com, where the eagle cam can be found.

Thousands of comments have been written on the eagle cam's Facebook page.

"This is as good as gifts being opened on Christmas morning! It's new life! Another one of God's great gifts," Bonnie Newman wrote. "Thank you to all our wonderful friends who keep watch and keep us informed of all the happenings."

Other viewers were happy to see the eggs hatching as well.

"This is so exciting! I saw what I thought was a pip on egg 2 this afternoon but was not sure...it looked like a tiny beak trying to push a hole in the shell," wrote Karen Highfield. "That Harriet has certainly been stingy with views of the eggs.They are an amazing couple."

A pip is when an eaglet starts to break the shell, and it can take anywhere from two to 48 hours for the tiny birds to fully hatch.

It takes 90 days for an eaglet to become the size of an adult.

The first egg was laid Nov. 19, with the second one coming Nov. 22.

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

David and Kathy Kochanowski, of Jacksonville, Fla., stopped by the Pritchett property Tuesday to see the eagle, birds they typically watch from their home.

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

"We followed Ozzie and Harriet and it was so emotional when Ozzie died," said Kathy Kochanowski. "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.

December 2016:Watch: 'Eagle cam' streaming Fla. bald eagle births

"We started 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," Pritchett McSpadden said. "We want people to be able to see them, but it's best if they can do that from home."

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; one eaglet survives. This was 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.

Follow Chad Gillis on Twitter: @ChadGillisNP