Day 1: 22 September 2015
At a not too distant time, across the Caloosahatchee River to the west in Cape Coral, there were a pair of Bald Eagles named George and Gracie. These eagles were thought to be a mating pair going back as early as 1990. George died of severe kidney failure while in the care of the Sanibel Island Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) in June 2006. Gracie continued on with a new mate that was appropriately named George II.
I arrived at the SWFEC site a couple of mornings after Ozzie's last sighting at his nest in North Fort Myers. The eagle's nest is on the property of Dick Pritchett. There was a good crowd on hand, all with eyes glued on the nest which sits in a wide open field offering great views of the eagles and other bird species. It was good to see local wildlife photographer Donna McMurrer on hand.
Donna had earlier been at the right place at the right time to capture an image of a pair of Florida Panthers which is the most remarkable I have seen. Donna can be found equally as excited observing panthers or Bald Eagles at the Pritchett site at the start of the 2016 eagle nesting season. I have yet to see any panthers myself with even much more common bobcat and coyote rarely seen.
Some devoting years to observing Ozzie and Harriet that I've had the good fortune to meet during my first few days visiting the SWFEC nest include Dee Kelly, Jeffery Jansen, and David Mintz. There is a comradery among them as they share great stories during observation down times.
The current Bayshore Road SWFEC nest was built by Ozzie and Harriet in 2006. These eagles are believed to have occupied another nest a short distance to the south that was first identified in 1990. It is thought that Ozzie and Harriet may have taken over the Donald Road nest from another pair of eagles in the 1997-1998 nesting season. The nest was inactive that year. Jeff is one of the fortunate ones to be following the eagles in this immediate area so far back in time.
The bond between Ozzie and Harriet was very strong. However, toward the latter part of the 2015 nesting season tragedy struck. In mid March 2015 Ozzie was brought to CROW with a broken left clavicle and broken left coracoid bone after being found in the vicinity of railroad tracks in North Fort Myers. He was thought to be injured through impact with a car or train while hunting for prey.
The initial report that Ozzie's recuperation would take weeks turned into months. During Ozzie's recovery at CROW, Harriet accepted another eagle which was named M15 (male 2015). M15 was also named FV (frequent visitor), and more amusingly named Pretty Boy. After the 2014-2015 breeding season was over, Ozzie was released on the Pritchett property near the nest site on 17 June 2015.
Day 2: 23 September 2015
On September 19th and 20th Ozzie was observed in the immediate vicinity of the SWFEC nest site, returning after a six month absence. Although it was reported that Ozzie was with Harriet in the nest tree on the morning of 20 September, he would apparently be driven from the area by both Harriet and Pretty Boy. Ozzie would not return to the nest again.
On 27 September Ozzie was found injured by Heather Halle, and then brought to CROW by Dee Kelly and CROW volunteer Joni O'Neil Henderson. CROW reported that Ozzie had lacerations from barbed wire, a broken toe in each foot, and other severe wounds consistent with a fight with another eagle. Ozzie's worst affliction was a bacterial blood infection possibly from one of the cuts. Ozzie additionally re-injured a talon.
On 22 September I was fortunate to see Pretty Boy that had bonded with Harriet. This was the first and last time I would see the eagle. Pretty Boy was observed by others on the 23rd, but has not been seen since as of the time of this article's publication. The images presented in this blog post all represent my observations at the SWFEC site.
Day 3: 24 September 2015
In addition to my great interest in observing the Bald Eagles and their behavior, I am attempting to document all the other species of bird that live at or pass through the nest area. With Ozzie's earlier return to his nest on 20 September, the scene has been significantly disrupted offering the unexpected each day. Most notably has been the disappearance of Pretty Boy.
Ozzie passed away at CROW on 29 September 2015 due to complications from his injuries. It has been reported that Ozzie's remains will be used in an American Indian religious ceremony. There will be observations and reports from the nest site at this blog in the future documenting Harriet and her environment which she has great control over.
Please also see Ozzie And Harriet: A Closure Pt. II
Please also see Ozzie And Harriet: A Closure Pt. III
So sad. Your photos are certainly uplifting, however.
ReplyDeleteOzzie was close to reaching his life expectancy, Karen. He certainly lived a full life.
DeleteWOW, lovely captures. I adore the photo's of the Bald Eagle and the Blue Jay ( never seen in my live)
ReplyDeleteHave a nice weekend Bob,
greetings,
Maria
Thank you, Maria. It's good to see the Blue Jay in the eagle's absence.
DeleteThank you, Debra. It was nice to see you, and add two new species of bird at the nest site with you today.
ReplyDeleteA touching story, Bob, and so beautifully told!
ReplyDeleteAs of yesterday, Hemant, there appeared to be stability at the nest site (a welcome development). I'm on my way momentarily to see what unfolds today.
DeleteHarriet didnt accept Ozzie back after all that time together ?
ReplyDeleteOzzie unfortunately perished as noted below image #34.
Delete