Proposal to remove the bald eagle and osprey from NJ’s list of endangered species

The Murphy Administration is proposing to remove the bald eagle and osprey from the state’s list of endangered species, reflecting decades of work to restore these iconic birds to New Jersey’s landscape, Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced.

The proposed de-listing is contained within a Department of Environmental Protection rule proposal published this week in the New Jersey Register and is based on a finding that populations of these birds have recovered to the point where the survival of these species in the state is no longer in jeopardy.

“The de-listing of eagles and ospreys is a milestone in the history of wildlife conservation in New Jersey and is a testament to the dedication of DEP professionals and volunteers who over the years stood watch over nests in all forms of weather, nurtured hatchlings, and worked tirelessly to educate the public about the importance of sustaining wildlife diversity,” said Commissioner LaTourette.

“Because of their efforts, people across the state today can thrill at the sight of bald eagles gliding above their massive tree-top nests or ospreys diving into a coastal creek to snare a fish,” Commissioner LaTourette continued. “While we celebrate these successes, we must remain vigilant in ensuring that these species continue to thrive and be ever mindful that endangered species continue to need our help.”

“The recovery of these species from near extirpation during the 1980s in New Jersey is a dramatic example of what is possible when regulations, science, and public commitment come together for a common purpose,” said David Golden, Assistant Commissioner of NJDEP Fish & Wildlife.  “With focused attention on other species of greatest conservation need, future recovery success stories are also possible.”

Under the New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Species Conservation Act, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this past December, NJDEP Fish & Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP) is responsible for protecting threatened, endangered and nongame species.

Press release

NJ Bald Eagle Population Continues to Increase

 

Recently, I saw a TV news segment about bald eagles in Brooklyn and in NY parks. It amazes people but it's a good sign. The bald eagle population in New Jersey also continues to climb.

According to the 2022 New Jersey Bald Eagle Project Report developed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Fish and Wildlife and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, there were 250 active nests identified last year.

An active nest means one that produced eggs. The latest numbers represent an increase of 28 active nests since 2021. Of those nests, 83 percent were successful and collectively produced 335 offspring. The productivity rate for nests with known outcomes was 1.42 young per nest, which is above the range required to maintain healthy population numbers.

You may recall that New Jersey had just one surviving bald eagle nest into the 1970s and 1980s – a pair in a remote part of Cumberland County – due to widespread use of DDT. This synthetic insecticide had lasting impacts on the food chain, accumulating in fish that eagles eat and causing eagles to lay thin-shelled eggs that could not withstand incubation. The federal government banned DDT in 1972.

Recovery efforts in New Jersey began in the early 1980s, with the reintroduction of eagles from Canada and artificial incubation and fostering efforts, efforts that started to pay discernible dividends throughout the 1990s.

The 250 active nests confirmed in 2022 represent a more than two-fold increase over the 10-year period beginning in 2013, when 119 active nests were counted. The Delaware Bay region remained the state’s eagle stronghold, with roughly half of all nests located in Cumberland and Salem counties and the bayside of Cape May County.

“New Jersey continues to collect high-quality data on the health and productivity of its bald eagles, which is no small feat given the species’ ever-growing numbers. Other states increasingly look to New Jersey’s volunteer-based monitoring program as a guiding example of how to monitor this species efficiently and effectively in this latest stage of its recovery. It is a fitting moment to recognize these successes, as the Endangered Species Act, which supported this inspiring recovery, now celebrates 50 years,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Northeast Eagle Coordinator, Thomas Wittig.

The federal government removed the bald eagle from its list of endangered species in 2007, reflecting a strong gain in the population throughout the nation. The current bald eagle protection status in New Jersey, however, remains state-endangered during the breeding season and state-threatened for the non-breeding season. The greatest threats to bald eagles in New Jersey are disruptive human activity in nesting and foraging areas and habitat loss.

MORE INFORMATION

dep.nj.gov/njfw/wildlife/raptors-in-new-jersey/#eagle

conservewildlifenj.org/protecting/projects/baldeagle/

nj.gov/dep/newsrel/2023/23_0004.htm

Check Out the Eagle Nest Camera at Three Bridges

This is our third webcam this week from Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey. Today's webcam focuses on one of New Jersey's favorite success stories - bald eagles.

Eagles have made a fantastic recovery in New Jersey and across the eastern United States. In our state, we have gone from a single nesting pair at a failing nest through the early 1980s, to 300+ pairs in 2020. 

Three Bridges, a community in Readington Township in Hunterdon County is where eagles have nested on top of an electric transmission tower since 2015 and have successfully raised 14 young. The towers were replaced by monopoles. PSE&G worked with Conserve Wildlife Foundation, NJDFW Endangered and Nongame Species Program, and US Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that the Three Bridges eagles would have every opportunity to continue nesting here. 

More info at conservewildlifenj.org/education/threebridges/

The live stream for this season started on December 15, 2021.

Bald Eagles in New Jersey 2021

What was the nest of the last breeding pair of bald eagles in NJ in 1976

Raptors, commonly referred to as "birds of prey," include hawks, owls, eagles, falcons, and vultures. Fortunately, after some frightening declines in some of our largest species, raptors represent some of New Jersey's greatest success stories.

The bald eagle, osprey, and peregrine falcon have made impressive comebacks from the brink of extinction, in large part thanks to the efforts of state biologists. 

Unfortunately, not all species of raptors are thriving - the American kestrel, for instance, has experienced a sharp decline in recent years, and the work of biologists in the Endangered and Nongame Species Program continues.

The Delaware Bay region of the state remained the state’s eagle stronghold with about 50% of all nests located in Cumberland, Salem, and Cape May counties. 

Last year there were 247 Monitored Eagle Nests and 222 were active (with eggs). 27 new eagle pairs found and 296 young eagles fledged.

The 2021 Bald Eagle Management and Research report is now available online and all raptor reports can be viewed online.

Bald Eagle Program at the Great Swamp NWR

In 1982, there was one active eagle nest in New Jersey. By 2018, there were 185. Bald eagles are one of the best examples of an endangered species comeback in our state.

NJ Fish and Wildlife Bald Eagle Project Volunteers Kevin and Karin Buynie are completing their 11th season monitoring nests and will be giving a public presentation on August 11.
You will learn about the history of bald eagle conservation in New Jersey and at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge where eagles have now fledged.

The program, Second Sunday... with Friends: MAGNIFICENT EAGLES will be on August 11 at 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm at the Refuge's Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center at 32 Pleasant Plains Rd., Harding Township (directions)

The Friends of Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1999 in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and has a refuge-centric focus to support the goals, projects, and mission of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Their operations and activities are managed by an all-volunteer board of directors and committees.

     Bald Eagle Fledgling in New Jersey USA from Michael Black on Vimeo.

Spring at the Duke Farms' Eagle Cam

Eagle cam at Duke Farms in Hillsborough. Alexis Johnson speaks with Executive Director Michael Catania.

An "Eagle Cam," like the one at Duke Farms, is the only way most of us will get a close up view of a wild eagle's nest. The coming of spring means eggs and eaglets - hopefully!

The Duke Farms live webcam in Somerset County has been active for 10 years. It has had 13 million viewers who have seen an unfiltered view of eagle life.

There are two eggs there that will likely hatch within the next few weeks.

According to Michael Catania, you are likely to see the eagles bring in food at some point and hat might be fish, turtles, even a young fawn. The action isn't always cute or tame. The Eagle Cam once caught a red tail hawk landing on the nest just as the chicks were hatching and in a flash that hawk became the first meal for those chicks.

In the past decade, 23 chicks have been raised and fledged from the nest. Last year was a year without eggs, so things look more hopeful for 2018.

The first egg this year was laid on Valentine's Day with a second coming three days later.

New Jersey now has about 170 active nests, and in 2007 bald eagles were removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species.

The eggs are expected to hatch between March 21 and March 24.

Live Eagle Cam view

Eagles Across New Jersey

A bald eagle in flight at Mountain Lakes Preserve in Princeton, New Jersey.

Eagles are probably New Jersey's most successful comeback story when it comes to endangered species. But that doesn't mean that we can be complacent about that recovery.

Bald eagles have been removed from the federal endangered species list, although they are still protected by other federal laws. In New Jersey, eagles are still considered an endangered species during the breeding season, which runs from January through June. The rest of the year they fall under the threatened species category.

In Sussex County, for example, the number of chicks that fledged dropped this year from a year before. The number of known, observed, eagle nests also dropped. This information, according to the 2017 Bald Eagle Report issued by the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, shows a slight decrease in the number of eaglets that made that first flight was down slightly across the state. There were 216 last year and only 190 this year.

That drop is not catastrophic and may not continue in 2018.


Bald Eagle Fledgling 26 June 2013 New Jersey USA from Michael Black on Vimeo.
A New Jersey fledging before it has acquired its distinctive white "bald" head.

Mortality in chicks is usually due to adverse weather at critical times in the nesting period, and predation.

Bald eagles in NJ and across the country were much more common until the late 1950s when the population plummeted. Why? The main cause was human use of the pesticide DDT which had entered the food chain and caused female eagles to lay eggs with very thin shells, which did not survive incubation.

By the time DDT was banned in the U.S. in 1972, there was only one nesting pair of eagles in New Jersey.

Twenty years later, biologists throughout the Northeast were importing young eaglets that could be artificially raised (hacked) until they could fledge. Those young eagles would range in wide areas but generally will return to the area where they fledged to find a mate.

New Jersey had 23 nesting pairs by 2000, 48 pairs by 2005, 82 pairs by 2010 and 150 pairs by 2015.

Though the monitoring program is run by staff from the Division of Fish and Wildlife, most of the observations are done by volunteers. These devoted folks check assigned nests at least weekly, note when eggs are present, how many hatch and whether or not those young fledge.

In the article "Eagle fledglings, known nests down across county, state" from the New Jersey Herald, the focus was on Sussex County where the number of young eagles dropped from 20 in 10 known nests, to 12 in only 8 observed nests this past spring.

A nest on Minisink Island in the Delaware River had nesting eagles on February 28 but it was reported that the nest failed on March 9 after a major storm moved through the area the week before. That storm brought a temperature drop from the 60s to the low 40s, along with high winds, hail and more than a half-inch of rain.

Nest mortality often takes 4 of 5 fledglings before they reach maturity.

Sometimes our Jersey eagles leave the state. One female eagle that was banded in 2009 at the Newton Reservoir site has been spotted from Maryland to New York. Another Newton eagle banded in 2011 is now nesting at a reservoir near Middletown, N.Y.  Borders don't mean anything to eagles.

2017 NJ Bald Eagle Project Report

The 2017 NJ Bald Eagle Project Report is now available.

The report contains the year's highlights and survey results of 178 monitored nest sites, including 153 active nests.

The report is produced by the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife's Endangered and Nongame Species Program in partnership with The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ and can be downloaded along with other raptor information at njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/raptor_info.htm

When a Bald Eagle Is On a Crosswalk in Bayonne

In early November, a bald eagle landed at Ninth Street and Avenue A in Bayonne and took a limping walk around the neighborhood. Bayonne is not a typical place for an eagle and walking is not a typical way for an eagle to travel.

At that time, November 10, the eagle was not captured or examined up close, but appeared to be injured or very weak.

Then, on November 17, the same eagle was located in a yard in Staten Island. It was unable to fly. The homeowner called the Staten Island Zoo, which contacted the Raptor Trust in Millington, NJ where the bird was brought.




The bird was banded as a nestling in Virginia in 2009. It was reported to be blind in one eye from an old injury.

Bald eagles were removed from the federal endangered species list in 2007. They are currently listed as endangered (breeding season) and threatened (non-breeding season) in New Jersey. But they are an important success story for New Jersey's endangered species program. In 1982, there was one nest in the state and in 2016 there were 172 eagle nests.

The Bayonne bird is reported to be gaining strength. The Raptor Trust suspects that lead poisoning may be what caused the bird's weakness.  Eagles when scavenging can get lead poisoning from eating an animal that was shot with lead ammunition as well as drinking lead in water.

Does a Love Triangle Mean No New Bald Eagles at Duke Farms This Year?

In a page from a TV soap opera, two competing female bald eagles at Duke Farms resulted in a season with no eggs and no new eagles for the first time in 11 years.

A story on NJ.com tells of how this February a young female bald eagle started moving in on and trying to replace the current resident female eagle.

The nest has been quite productive in the past. Between 2005 and 2016, it produced 23 bald eagle chicks that were given tracking bands on the chicks when they were approximately five to six weeks old.

That rival female appeared just in time to interrupt the resident couple's mating behavior of courting, bonding and copulation.

And next year? 

The parenting couple are still around the nest and there is a good chance that they will nest in the area and breed next year. The nest was knocked down during Hurricane Sandy and rebuilt by the eagles who like the location on the Raritan River.

From the Eagle Cam at Duke Farms in Hillsborough, NJ.
This YouTube Live feed can be rewound using the scroll.

Discover DEP Podcast on Bald Eagles in New Jersey

The latest Discover DEP podcast takes a look at how the bald eagle has successfully recovered in the Garden State from the impact of DDT as well as insightful information on this majestic bird's habits, habitats, and life cycle.

This episode can be found at www.nj.gov/dep/podcast/ on the NJDEP website.

For more information on eagles in New Jersey, please visit njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/raptor_info.htm#eagle on the Division of Fish and Wildlife website.

New Jersey Bald Eagle Population Thriving

A bald eagle at Mountain Lakes Preserve, Princeton, NJ - Photo by Christina Keddie
CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The 2016 Bald Eagle Project annual report has been released and is available on the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife website.

The Bald Eagle population continues to thrive with 172 nest sites monitored (150 documented with eggs) which is up by 11.  A total of 216 new birds were born to 132 of those nests.

These numbers are more than what's needed to help maintain the state's current bald eagle population.

In the 1970s, the eagle was pushed to the brink in New Jersey and its recovery has been perhaps the greatest success of the endangered species program in the state. No longer listed as endangered in NJ, we were reduced to just one nesting pair in 1973 in a Cumberland County forest.

The biggest threats to the bald eagle population are still habitat loss and human activity that can change eagles' behavior. Though contaminants in the birds' food web can still affect nesting, that threat has been reduced in the past four decades due to the banning of dangerous chemicals in pesticides.

New Jersey's bald eagles are monitored throughout the nesting season in order to protect them and their nests. GPS transmitters are attached when possible to young eagles to follow their movements.

The Delaware Bay region has the largest eagle population. 47 percent of all nests are in Cumberland and Salem counties and on the bay side of Cape May County. But 15 new eagle pairs were seen this season. There were a dozen in south Jersey and three in the central part of the state.

For the full report visit njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/raptor_info.htm#eagle

Bald Eagle in Winter

Some snowfall and a bald eagle and other birds as we enter December and prepare for winter.

via the daily videos at http://nature365.tv

The NJ Bald Eagle Project

On Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016, zoologist Rober Somes will present "The NJ Bald Eagle Project" at the Monmouth County Audubon Society meeting in Fair Haven. The presentation begins at 8 p.m. and is open to all. Admission is free. The program will be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 200 Fair Haven Road in Fair Haven.

Bald Eagles Continue to Make a Comeback in New Jersey

The nonprofit Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey (CWF) released the 2015 Bald Eagle Report this month, highlighting the number of nesting pairs, active nests and nest productivity for the raptors throughout New Jersey with data collected by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife biologists, CWF biologists and committed volunteers.

"With 161 pairs of bald eagles this past year — up from just a single nest in the early 1980's — the dramatic ongoing recovery of bald eagles across the northeast continues to inspire so many of us," said David Wheeler, Conserve Wildlife Foundation Executive Director. "The thrill of seeing a bald eagle fly across the sky is unparalleled. This report captures how these eagles are continuing their All-American return."

The report notes that thirteen new eagle pairs were found this season, nine in the south, two in Central Jersey and two in Northern New Jersey.

With a wingspan of six to seven feet, bald eagles are larger than most birds. The bald eagle is restricted to North America and is usually found within close proximity to open water. In New Jersey, bald eagles reside year-round, usually remaining in the area surrounding their nest. They begin courtship and nest building in late December and January, adding to their existing nest. Over time, some nests can reach 10 feet across and weigh up to 2,000 pounds.

Conserve Wildlife Foundation partners with Duke Farms on a webcam that provides a live look at a bald eagle nest in Hillsborough, New Jersey. This spring, the EagleCam will allow viewers an up close and personal view into the lives of a pair of bald eagles as they breed, incubate, and raise young. Between the general public and classrooms up and down the east coast, the EagleCam has many fans – over 10 million viewers and growing!

The federal government removed the bald eagle from its list of Endangered Species in August of 2007, but the bald eagle’s official New Jersey status remains state-endangered for the breeding season and state-threatened for the non-breeding season.

"One of our encouraging findings is that the population of wintering bald eagles has grown along with the nesting population over the past decade," said Conserve Wildlife Foundation eagle biologist Larissa Smith. "This growth reflects the increasing populations in New Jersey and across the northeast, as recovery efforts continue to pay off for eagles. In addition to our fellow scientists in New Jersey and nearby states, I'd like to thank the wonderful eagle project volunteers who make keeping track of all these nests possible."

The Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP) bald eagle recovery efforts, implemented in the early 1980’s, have resulted in a steady recovery of New Jersey’s bald eagle population. ENSP biologists, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey staff, and volunteer observers continue to locate and monitor bald eagle nests and territories each year to analyze the state of the population. The state’s eagle population would not be thriving without the efforts of the dedicated eagle volunteers who observe nests, report sightings, and help protect critical habitat.

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey (CWF) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of New Jersey’s endangered and threatened wildlife and the habitats they depend on. We carry out our mission by researching and managing rare animal species, restoring habitat, educating New Jersey’s residents, and engaging volunteers in our conservation projects. Since the early 1990’s, CWF scientists and educators have helped conserve and protect a variety of at-risk species of wildlife in New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the nation.

Highlights of the 2015 New Jersey Bald Eagle Project Report are found below. To view the complete report online, visit www.ConserveWildlifeNJ.org

2015 Report Highlights

• The statewide population increased to 161 territorial pairs in 2015, up from 156 last year.
• 13 new eagle pairs were found this season, nine in the south, two in central and two in northern New Jersey.
• 150 pairs were known active (meaning they laid eggs), up from 146 last year. 
• 122 nests (81%) were known to be successful in producing 199 young, for a productivity rate of 1.33 young per known-outcome active nest, which is above the required range of 0.9-1.1 young per nest for population maintenance. 
• One chick, orphaned from a Maryland nest, was fostered into a Cumberland County nest and fledged, bringing the total fledged to 200. 
• 28 (19%) of nests failed to fledge young. 
• The Delaware Bay region remained the state’s eagle stronghold, with 40% of all nests located in Cumberland and Salem counties.

Bald Eagle Rescue

Two bald eagles interlocked, injured and hanging from a tree in Tuckerton, NJ.
Photo by Ben Wurst.

The Endangered and Nongame Species Program received a report on February 18th that two adult eagles were injured and hanging from a tree in Tuckerton. With some help from an AC Electric company truck with a cherry picker on it, Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager went up to try to free the birds.

One eagle was alive but the other had unfortunately died. The survivor was banded and recorded as a female that was came from a nest near Merrill Creek reservoir in 2008.

Probably, the two had fought over territory and fell from the air into tree branches. The dead eagle had a "death grip" on the surviving eagle. Without help, they both were likely to have died in the tree.

The bird was taken to Mercer County Wildlife Center to be checked. Sadly, its leg that was in the grip of the other eagle was badly injured and the bird showed signs of frostbite damage due to not being able to move and fly. After 5 days, the bird was euthanized at Tri-State Bird Rescue because the fracture and frostbite made her unlikely to survive in the wild and eagles in general do not like being in captivity.


 Helmet-Cam video of Ben working to save the eagle.

http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/blog/2015/02/18/battling-bald-eagles-land-in-tree/

And those NJ eagles...

The state's Bald Eagle population is at an all-time high, and NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife biologist Kathy Clark is interviewed in a video feature on the NJTV News website.

For information on bald eagles and a link to the video, visit http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/raptor_info.htm on the Division's website.

Please consider using the "Check-off For Wildlife" on your state tax return ( http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/checkoff.htm ) to support wildlife efforts.

Tracking NJ Bald Eagles on Their Journeys

USFWS.gov photo

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey (CWF) has released the 2014 Bald Eagle Report, highlighting the number of nesting pairs, active nests and nest productivity for the raptors throughout New Jersey with data collected by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife biologists, CWFNJ biologists and dedicated volunteers.

During the summer of 2014 two juvenile bald eagles were fitted with a GPS tracking device (a wearable backpack). ENSP biologists chose one eagle from Atlantic County (a male) and one from Cumberland County (a female) to be tagged in this telemetry study.

The male, named "Nacote," hatched at a nest near Nacote Creek in Port Republic, and wears a green band with code D/95.

The female, named "Millville," was from a nest on the Maurice River; she wore color band E/05. Unfortunately, Millville was found dead on November 24, 2014.

Nacote was in Canada until mid-October when he started heading south. He visited Six Flags Great Adventure in December and for the past two weeks, he has been residing in northeast Atlantic County, especially Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Millville ventured out to Delaware Bay marshes in late July and back in early August. In mid-September, she crossed the Delaware River into Delaware and then spent most of September along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland before crossing over to Virginia.

"Tracking these young eagles is giving us insight into where the birds go once they fledge and the type of habitat they are using," explained Conserve Wildlife Foundation Wildlife Biologist and Volunteer Manager Larissa Smith. "Unfortunately, we recently learned that the female was found dead in Delaware. The first year of life is tough for young eagles as they learn to survive on their own."

D/95 Nacote with GPS transmitter being attached. Kathy Clark/ENSP

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to follow these juvenile bald eagles on their forays far from New Jersey," said David Wheeler, Conserve Wildlife Foundation Executive Director. "With the eagles choosing to fly in completely different directions, it’s a reminder on how much we still have to learn about these fascinating creatures. Yet what is not in doubt is the bald eagle’s continuing recovery from the brink of extinction - thanks largely to the dedicated scientists leading the way."

For maps of the movements of Nacote, updated regularly, visit conservewildlifenj.org/protecting/projects/baldeagle/.

2014 Eagle Report

The federal government removed the bald eagle from its list of Endangered Species in August of 2007, but the bald eagle’s official New Jersey status remains state-endangered for the breeding season and state-threatened for the non-breeding season. The Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP) bald eagle recovery efforts, implemented in the early 1980’s, have resulted in a steady recovery of New Jersey’s bald eagle population. ENSP biologists, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey staff, and volunteer observers continue to locate and monitor bald eagle nests and territories each year to analyze the state of the population.

The population of wintering bald eagles has grown along with the nesting population, especially in the last ten years. This growth reflects increasing populations in NJ and the northeast, as each state’s recovery efforts continue to pay off for eagles.

•     This season, 25 new eagle pairs were found.
•     The statewide population increased to 156 pairs (including nesting and territorial) in 2014, up from 148 in 2013.
•     A total of 156 nest sites were monitored during the nesting season, of which 146 were documented to be active (with eggs), up from 119 last year.
•     One hundred fifteen nests (79%) of the 145 known-outcome nests produced 201 young, for a productivity rate of 1.39 young per active and known-outcome nest.
•     The Delaware Bay region remained the state’s eagle stronghold, with 43% of all nests located in Cumberland and Salem counties.
•     2014 marked the first year of successful eagle nesting in the Palisades Interstate Park in perhaps 100 years.

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of New Jersey’s endangered and threatened wildlife and the habitats they depend on. We carry out our mission by researching and managing rare animal species, restoring habitat, educating New Jersey’s residents, and engaging volunteers in our conservation projects. Since the early 1990’s, CWFNJ scientists and educators have helped conserve and protect a variety of at-risk species of wildlife in New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the nation.  For more information on CWF, please visit us at www.ConserveWildlifeNJ.org

Reports on 3 New Jersey Raptors

An osprey returns to its nest     Photo by Gary Lehman

Raptors, commonly referred to as "birds of prey," include hawks, owls, eagles, falcons and vultures. Raptors have fascinated people for thousands of years and inspire people even today. Fortunately, after some frightening declines in some of our largest species, raptors represent some of New Jersey's greatest success stories.

The bald eagle, osprey and peregrine falcon have made impressive comebacks from the brink of extinction, in large part thanks to the efforts of division biologists.

Unfortunately, not all species of raptors are thriving - the American kestrel, for instance, has experienced a sharp decline in recent years, and the work of biologists in the Endangered and Nongame Species Program continues.

The 2014 reports on three raptor species managed by the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife have been posted on the Division's web site. The reports detail the management efforts and results of Division staff and dedicated volunteers.

This work would not be possible without public support. Donations to the program can be made on the NJ state income tax return (Line 58 - check-off for wildlife) and through Conserve Wildlife License Plates.


2014 Peregrine Falcon Report (pdf, 130kb)
2014 Osprey Report (pdf, 105kb)
2014 Eagle Report (pdf, 970kb)

Also 
From One to 135 - New Jersey's Bald Eagle Success Story (US FWS site)


Source:  http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/raptor_info.htm .

NJ's Eagle Population Continued to Climb in 2014

Bald eagle, Cape May National Wildlife Refuge.
Photo credit: Don Freiday / USFW

New Jersey's eagle population continued to climb in 2014, to 156 pairs.  The number of young  broke the 200 mark, with 201 fledging from 145 known-outcome nests.

Eagles nest in all counties except Essex and Hudson.

The report also highlights the movements of eagles being tracked with satellite tags.  In their first years after leaving the nest, they are moving far and wide across the northeast, from Maine to Maryland.  The satellite-tracked eagles reveal new information about eagle habitat use, foraging and roosting locations.

For details about the continuing recovery of eagles in NJ, and the efforts of the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, see the 2014 Eagle Project Report linked from http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/raptor_info.htm on the Division's website.