New Female Bald Eagle Takes Over Duke Farms Nest

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — There is a new boss in charge as a new female Bald Eagle has taken over the nest at Dukes Farms.

Nora DiChiara, director of programs and strategic planning at Dukes Farms, said the new female bird somehow replaced the other female at the end of the 2019 nesting season, possibly in mid-September.

Small details set the new female apart from the previous including streaks in its iris and differences in nest behavior. The State of New Jersey Bald Eagle Biologists also took a look at the bird and confirmed it was indeed a new female, DiChiara said on Jan. 3.

This marks the third female to occupy the nest at Duke Farms in Hillsborough since 2004. Throughout the time there has only been one nearly 20-year-old male Bald Eagle who has sired more than 25 bald eagle chicks at the nest.

Last year two eggs were hatched at the nest.

To catch a glimpse of the new female watch the Dukes Farms camera live, 24 hours a day at dukefarms.org/eaglecam.

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