12/4/15... Harriet and M15 still on the OCT when I got there. As it got lighter out I could see they were pretty wet from all of the rain. Hope they stay and dry off here but Noooo . They went to the nest briefly then up to the attic. An oops by M15 .I guess he didn't realize Harriet had turned around and he started to land on her head and quickly aborted that move..LOL Harriet sure let him know about it too. Well after that they both headed over to Bob's where M15 made things right.I saw wings just a flapping as I went past on my way home..lol

I have been asked if the window of opportunity to lay eggs is close and I honestly don't know. From the past 3 seasons there was a 2-3 week window where it was determined the eggs were made then laid 4-10 days later, by counting back from the date the first egg was laid to get the approximate time frame. Now from what I read, the window isn't necessarily closed. What was Harriet's window evidently is not now. " The interesting item here is that eagles will mate over a 10 month period but the only mating that results in fertilization happens during a two week period preceding and during the period while the eggs are being laid. I suspect some of this mating is what we scientists would call "bonding behavior" to reinforce their territory and their relationship that must tolerate two killers coming together to procreate. Others of us might more superficially just call this having a good old time. " 

Read that again, and again. When is that two week window ? "but the only mating that results in fertilization happens during a two week period preceding and during the period while the eggs are being laid." 

We knew with Ozzie and Harriet , we don't know with M15 and Harriet yet.

"Different pairs are more closely synchronized from year to year than necessarily from neighbor to neighbor.  There can readily be a two week or even a month's difference in the above time of the cycle between two next door pairs.  And the difference between different years for the same pair is very small.  If a pair lays their first egg February 27 one year it is likely to be within a day or two of that date every year.  In fact seeing a couple of weeks' difference in the laying dates for a pair from one year to the other is a good indicator that one of the pair has been replaced by another -- and a new timing schedule is about to be developed for the new pair."

http://www.hancockwildlife.org/article.php/BaldEagleNestingSeasonDatesEvents

http://www.hancockwildlife.org/article.php/EggsEgg-WhenAndHowTheyDevelop

What Physical Changes Have We Seen Harriet & M15 go thru During Mating and Nesting Season

I have been observing Harriet & Ozzie now for 3 years and M 15 for the past 8 months. I have always just looked at Ozzie & Harriet but never really Looked and understood what Harriet and Ozzie were really doing as far their day to day life's. With Ozzie's absents and with M15 showing up, I started to paid more attention to what they were doing and understanding a bit more.
To see a new bond form between Harriet and M15 from day one was very enlightening for me. To see the same things Ozzie and Harriet had been doing for years are now helping a Young Adult Male Eagle become a partner/mate and soon to be Dad.
I've had to step back and rethink all that I had seen before Ozzie's passing. There was a bond forming between Harriet and M15 the very day he showed up. Sure Harriet ran him off a few times but  M15 was very precinct in coming back to defend Harriet, E6 and the territory that is now His and Harriet's.
So now we go thru the summer and we are getting closer to the Official start of mating season. We have noticed changes in Harriet and M15. Harriet slowly starts to fill out and so does M15. What I mean by fill out is getting fuller , putting on some weight. This doesn't happen all at once it's over a period of time. So they'll need the extra weight/ fat to help keep their metabolism/energy up and to help them keep warm and the eggs too. Of course here in Florida we don't have the winters like everyone else so keeping warm is not a big issue.
We watched as Harriet and M 15 went thru a summer/fall molt but we also noticed that the feathers under M 15 and especially Harriet's tail have gotten fuller in the "ruffled pantie" area as I call it. Sorry  M 15 I know you don't have panties but shorts..LOL
I have only found one article on other birds that state that the Cloacal area does get swollen during the mating season.                                                                                                      http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpeople.eku.edu%2Fritchisong%2Favianreproduction.html&h=VAQE7Eg1y

 So I  can 't help but think this is why we see the feathers so much fuller right now in that area on both of them but more so on Harriet. Now these are just some of my observations. I'm trying to research it but can't find any thing on just Bald Eagles.
Photo's of Harriet last year and this year showing the same fullness back there.
Harriet Oct 31/2014 Not only does this show the feathers, she's also standing on them and it also show's her brood patch.

Harriet this year 11/17/15 See the fullness .

Then there is of course the Brood Patch that both the male and Female get. This is a patch just under the breast in the belly area where they lose feathers and the skin will be touching the eggs to keep them warm while incubating. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brood_patch

Photo from David Eppley of M15's brood patch and the fluffier tail feathers.

NOT ONE OF OUR EAGLES ! This photo also shows the fluffier feathers at the tail area.

We have also seen what could be sexual arousal or a show of readiness to mate by M15 . Donna was telling me one evening she was up at the nest and M15 saw Harriet heading for the nest. Not only was he vocalizing she also noticed the feathers in the brood patch area had ruffled open. Like he was displaying his brood patch to her or his readiness to mate. There wasn't mating at this time but we have seen this response to Harriet and mating since then.
I have a photo of Ozzie and Harriet last year and you can see the same thing on Ozzie just before he mounts Harriet.
Ozzie and Harriet Sept 19/2014

 This video is from Uta Grobe ...from the SWLF  cam showing M15 with his feathers puffed out.
Arousal ?? :::
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPo8IKQ5RH8
I love how they look so innocent afterwards...lol
Now again I have to remind you these are things we see and are thinking that it could be arousal or a display of readiness to mate. Researching this for just Bald Eagles hasn't produced any articles that I could find. just on other birds.  So if anyone does have some information on this I would greatly appreciate it if you would share it with me. Thank You.
Now it was said that M15 was thermoregulating and not a show of arousal. Here is a video of M15 thermoregulating.  There is a difference in what we are seeing
Thermoregulating::: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO9t9NFjUME

Some definitions  of thermoregulating  :::

https://web.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Temperature_Regulation.html

http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/birdmetabolism.html

http://www.klamathbird.org/images/stories/kbo/pdfs_k12_library/build_an_eagle.pdf

How do Eagles Keep warm:::

http://raptorresource.blogspot.com/2012/02/it-was-hard-not-to-feel-sympathy-and.html

http://raptorresource.blogspot.com/2015/02/how-do-eagles-stay-warm.html

I'm sure there are others changes that I have missed here but theses are the most noticeable ones that Donna and I have seen.
 I am by no means a Bird Biologist or anything like that. I'm just a simple person that is seeing things and trying to find answers . Oh the wonders of Nature. So many questions and not enough answers.
I hope that you all find some of this educational and interesting as much as I do. I just wish I had hard cold facts for you and not just observations that might leave you guessing and wondering as much as I am....
I know I'll be paying closer attention next mating season.

Is it the cooler weather or could we have Eggs on the way?

Was good to see both of them in the nest tree sitting side by side this morning. Harriet as usual does her morning vocals. Then we hear what sounded like mating vocals but not mating. I guess Harriet was letting M15 know she was large and in charge. Not long after that , they both drop down into the nest. Again the list is being made and some restorations being done. The past few days more rails have been brought in and lots more fluff. I like the "lots more fluff" part. We can tell from the ground the nest bowl is coming along just fine by how far down Harriet's heads goes and how far up in the air her tail is when she is aerating. Well this might not be the most scientific way of judging but hey it works right?!
Today was another early morning gathering of nesting material. a few sticks and a small amount of moss was brought in by M15. Boy he sure is doing great. Harriet the supervisor let M15 know she was pleased with each stick and the moss brought in. M15 's first attempt at a branch was with a pine branch right there by the porch branch. He tried and tried to get that branch to break and it just wouldn't . Even with grabbing it and dropping down to fly away didn't work so he went to one of his  stash trees and found a small bit of moss then back to the nest.

  Then off he went to the front pine tried to get some pine from there didn't get it then off towards Publix pond .Jay one of the other photographers was at the pond to get sunrise photo's saw M15 fly to a tree and get a branch and came back with what Donna likes to call a puzzle stick. You know one that takes a bit of moving around before it fits just right. Then they have to move it again . Well Harriet tried working with it a few times before it got placed. M15 is on the attic branch and by now you can kind of tell he is scoping out another place to go for more nesting material. Yep off to the other stash tree and this time he lands on the lower branch and is looking around. Ah-ha he found what he was looking for on the ground and off he goes heading back for the nest.

After that was placed M15 headed over to the west treeline. Went to one tree then over to the left and on the ground. I lost him on the ground but then he came up with some vine and back to the nest again. Harriet helped some what with the placement then out to the porch branch she went.

M15 puts his finishing touches on the the rails then hops up to the attic branch. Both are surveying their territory then M15 leaves heading SE way past the Publix pond. I guess he's off to do a check of the area.  Harriet watches him go then does some preening. She looks every now and then to see where he is at. You know she can see him even if we can't. Harriet vocalizes then preens and vocalizes some more. I wonder if she is telling him to bring home a fish for break fast? LOL
Harriet moves up higher and is looking off towards the SE again. About an hour and a half after m15 left ,Harriet heads off in the same direction that M15 went.
Well there we are  and no one home.
Both Harriet and M15 sure have been staying around longer most mornings. They have been coming back to the nest off and on during the day too. While working on my photo's I have the cam up and heard Harriet come back home. Then she started vocalizing and here comes M15 with a fish gift for Harriet. How about that . He brought her one last night also. Could she be getting closer to egg laying? M15 is showing her he can provide and not eat the food himself . Oh my Harriet starts vocalizing again and I have to look at the cam . OMG M15 brought her another fish !!!! That's two with in maybe 30 Min's ? I'm not sure because I didn't check the time. Boy he sure is on the ball.
Harriet stands on this fish and I don't know if she ate it or M15 because I had to finish my photo's.

Harriet is filling out even more. She's a "Girthy " Gal as I call her any way, But she will fill out more for egg laying and incubation of the eggs. Harriet will spend most of her time on the eggs and then the Eaglets to keep them warm. She will have time off the eggs to stretch and maybe even go for her own food. Hopefully , She will feel comfortable to  let M15 egg sit and Eaglet sit.  This will be his first time and I soo hope all goes well. Harriet at times didn't let Ozzie sit to long with the Kids. He so loved sitting with Kids.
So I can't help but wonder if we are getting closer to egg laying time. Hope and Honor were 11/26 /12 and 11/29/12 and hatched  1/1/13 and 1/3/13.

M15 works on the nest all by Himself

At 4:42 am this morning Harriet does some vocals. Nothing new for Harriet.. I don't see them on the cam but that vocal at least tells me she is in the nest tree some where. This morning both were in the nest tree. M15 up high and Harriet down below M15 . Harriet and more vocals with M15 answering  her back. I love the "Good Mornings Vocals" .
M15 drops down into the nest and Harriet joins him soon afterwards. The morning list is being gathered and then M15 up to the attic branch. Harriet is still moving a rail to the right place then some preening on her tail it looks like then hops out to the porch branch.  Harriet back to the nest then up to the veranda. M15 joins her and attempts to mate but Harriet wasn't having it and hopped into the nest. Hmm I watched her do the same thing last night but then they went to the front pine and did it there. Maybe they don't like the reviews they have been getting in performance ?
M15 stays on the higher part of the veranda and he is looking around while Harriet is making the stick and fluff list longer for today.
M15 takes off towards the Publix pond and beyond. Well I guess he has others plans or maybe a new Stick & Fluff place opened up that way..LOL
Harriet on the veranda branch watching M15 . Harriet is preening, looking around and preening while she is on the veranda then she moves up higher for a better view of the area and maybe M15. Harriet and her usual preening while sitting and she roused her feathers. Harriet turns around and now I have her back to me..LOL She's looking SW then NW. Around 7:15 am Harriet leaves heading NW towards the poles by Bob's. I guess no work from either one of them today. That's ok . Both have worked very hard on the nest the past few days. It's good to see how well the nest is coming along. Of course I have a thing about the fluff . I would love to see more of it for Harriet and the eggs to sit on. But if Harriet has an egg today,what is there is good enough for Her , is good enough for me. I'm not the one sitting on it.
We sit back down and wait to see if anyone comes home . An 1 hr and 45 mins later here comes M15 with some thing small in his one talon. I thought it was food from the way he was looking around for Harriet but the photo I got ,it looks like he tried to garb some nesting material one his way in and only got a very small part . Well we're glad he is back. Now maybe he'll do some stick getting while he's here. Of course I have to put in my 2 cents  about the "Fluff"... M15 looking NW I guess he might have spotted Harriet. M15  then flies out of the nest towards the cam 2 tree grabs some moss flies up and over the power lines and some of the moss gets stuck but he keeps going into the west pasture and back to the nest tree. Well how about that. He did this all by himself just like Ozzie would with out Harriet being here.  Great Job M15 !
M15 rests for a bit then off again he flies this time to the west pasture . He finds what he is looking for and back he comes with more moss that is stuck to a branch WTG M15.  Up and over the lines around the nest tree past OCT  around the big full tree that the Horse's like to stand under by the Church side and right past us. Wow he wasn't even bothered by us or looking at us .Always focused on where he is going and what he is doing.  M15 heads back to the nest tree and up to the attic branch he lands. As he is dropping down into the nest some of the moss is left on the branch. Well at least he got the stick into the nest maybe he'll get the moss later. M15 rests a bit then up to the attic and is still looking for Harriet to come back. He leaves heading right past us and behind the Church going NE.
Well I guess the moss will have to wait until later when Harriet gets home.
15 mins after M15 leaves Harriet goes past heading over towards the tree by the parking lot. One of the other Eagles showed up. Oh sure she can see that but not M15 working on the nest.  LOL
I'm sure she did see him and just didn't want to come home and help.
While I was trying to type all of this down , I heard Harriet on the cam and switched over to see her. She is on the OCT . She just got done with a bath and is preening and thermoregulating and roused her feathers  while vocalizing off and on. And what I mean by thermorgulation is that you see her puffing out her feathers in the front and other spots to let the outside air circulate thru and helps cool her off and help dry the feathers at the same time. Then you see her rouse which is a lot like a dog when it shakes all over to get the rest of the water off and fluff up their fur some then the fur lays down.. So does Harriet with her rousing. She fluffs up the feathers then they lay down a bit smoother. She then does her preening to get them back into to shape/ straighten out .I got about 11 mins of it on video and will put it in here. I missed her landing there and the bath darn it!! Oh well it's not like the last bath she'll every have.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymguXLG_i0M   After Harriet's Bath today.
Photo's for the Morning......
# 1...M15
# 2...Harriet
# 3... Harriet
# 4... Harriet Rousing her feathers
# 5... Harriet leaving
# 6- # 13 All M15