NEW JERSEY - Hunterdon County's Three Bridges can now boast live nest cam footage showing two bald eagles nesting at Duke Farms, making viewing live nesting possible through webcam. These and other nest cameras across New Jersey reflect well on New Jersey's rebounded population of bald eagles from just a single pair in the 1970s and 80s to 247 pairs that produced 335 offspring last year alone! For a total of a little under 1,000 bald eagles in the state of New Jersey.How Many Bald Eagle Nests Are in New Jersey?
Cumberland, Salem, and Cape May counties in New Jersey provide ideal breeding grounds for bald eagles; they can find abundant forests and wetlands where they hunt and breed. In recent years however, they have also established nests near lakes, rivers, and reservoirs; additionally, they can even be seen nesting near heavily populated urban centers like New York City, where open waters and perching locations like tall, mature trees attract them.
Attracting both rural and urban birds alike, birds generally nest approximately one mile apart with nearby forests or wetlands providing hunting or foraging opportunities for hunting or foraging activities. All birds are protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Since 1972, DDT use has been banned, and thanks to reforestation and water quality improvement efforts, the population of bald eagles has seen a remarkable recovery. Of 210 nests active in 2020, each produced an average of 1.46 young, exceeding the needed level for maintaining healthy populations of this species.
