Bald Eagles Nesting Pair Reported In Manville

MANVILLE, NJ — There are more than 150 nesting pairs of bald eagles in the state, including four in Somerset County, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection announced for 2017.

Bald Eagle nest sites can be found at Duke along the Raritan River in Hillsborough; Far Hills/Ravine Lake; Manville; and Johnson Park in Franklin Township.

Nearby nests can also be found in Three Bridges; Great Swamp; and Princeton.

All of these nests, except one, are considered "Active" — meaning a pair of eagles laid eggs in 2017.

The nest at Duke Estate along the Raritan River is considered "Territorial" — meaning a pair of eagles has a known nest, but was not active in 2017.

The number of bald eagles nests are up from 1973 where there was just one nesting pair in a remote forest in Cumberland County, when the Endangered and Nongame Species Conservation Act was passed, NJDEP reported.

Now more than 150 nesting pairs of eagles can be found across the state, primarily in the Delaware Bay counties of Cumberland and Salem.

Additionally, numbers of wintering eagles along the Delaware have increased dramatically. They remain on the state endangered species list, however, due to their sensitivity to environmental contaminants, habitat loss and human disturbance.

"The challenge to biologists and citizens now is protecting the lands and waterways used by eagles to maintain and enhance this species' recovery," NJDEP reported.

The NJDEP went into detail about when the eagle pair laid eggs and begin incubation, when the eggs hatched and when the chicks fledged (grew feathers needed to fly and is capable of surviving outside the nest).

Here is a list of key important dates for the active bald eagle nests in Somerset County for 2017 via NJDEP:

For more information on the New Jersey Bald Eagle Project, 2017 click here.

(Image via MaryRN/Morguefile)

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