3 Bald Eaglets Banded By NJDEP At Duke Farms In Hillsborough

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Three bald eagles born at Duke Farms in Hillsborough were banded last week by biologists from the NJDEP Endangered and Nongame Species Program.

The biologists arrived on April 10 to band the three bald eagles and scale the tree to get to the nest, which sits 80 feet off the ground.

As the biologists scaled the tree, official nest monitor Diane Cook, a volunteer with Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, shared the eagle parents' reactions.

"Both adult eagles continue to circle the area very high in the sky. We could hear them vocalizing during their fly-overs. I have read that due to their large size, bald eagles are not quick and agile enough to take on something larger than themselves. Their size makes it difficult to escape quickly, and they do not put themselves in danger taking on something like people. You can be sure they are watching though," said Cook.

The first chick banded as H58 was found to be a female; the second chick's sex is uncertain at this time(banded as H59); and the third chick, banded as H57, is likely a male.

"When all was done, H59 rode back up to the nest along with a bag of six fish. During banding, the adults continue to fly over the nest, vocalizing to let us and their offspring know they are near. In the last hour the adult activity settled down, and they were out of our view. Fish are left in the nest so when the parents return, there is something to eat without having to hunt for the meal, making for a stress free return to normal life," said Cook.

After an eventful day for the Duke Farms eagle family, the three eaglets settled down with their mother.

A full summary of the day was drafted by Cook and can be found on Duke Farms' website.

The eaglets and the bald eagle parents can be seen on Duke Farms' Eagle cam, which livestreams the nest 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

To catch a glimpse of the new chicks and the bald eagle parents, watch the Dukes Farms camera live at dukefarms.org/eaglecam.

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