By James FitzPatrick
Contributing Writer
Bald eagles were almost wiped out from the state of New Jersey because of people. Now they are making a comeback because people have come to their rescue.
Although exact data is incomplete, New Jersey was down to approximately 20 nesting pairs of eagles in the period between the 1930s and 1950s, when they were considered a threat to farm animals.
By 1970 there was just one nesting pair in the whole state in Cumberland County, largely attributed to the pesticide DDT. The chemical was harmful to eagles because it made their egg shells too thin to be viable. Fortunately for the eagles, and the many fans of our majestic national bird, use of the pesticide was banned in the United States in 1972 and a path to recovery was in sight.
Still, the eagle census remained at just one pair into the early 1980s. That’s when a project was started by the NJDEP to import nestling eagles from Canada where the birds are not endangered. Over an eight-year period, 60 were brought to New Jersey and released.
Making the conservation and restoration efforts go has been the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program, which teamed up with Conserve Wildlife Foundation New Jersey to keep track of the recovery process.
Kathleen Clark, chief of the Endangered and Nongame Species Program, said volunteers are essential to the success of the eagle recovery effort.
“The Bald Eagle Project is one of the wildlife programs in New Jersey that depends on dedicated and passionate volunteers,” Clark said. “Eagles nest throughout the state, and our network of volunteer nest monitors makes it possible to maintain our level of knowledge in NJ Fish and Wildlife about the population, its distribution, and success.”
The eagle revival has been steady. By 2000 there were 23 pairs, and 48 by 2005. The trend continued, climbing to 82 by 2010, 150 pairs in 2015, and 220 by 2020. There were 222 in 2021, 250 in 2022 and 255 in 2023.
Although bald eagles are no longer on the federal endangered species list, they retain special status in New Jersey as state endangered.
She said people who help out really get to know their eagles.
“People who ‘adopt’ an eagle nest to monitor spend time watching a pair of eagles from nest-building and courtship in January, through incubation, chick-rearing, and finally fledging in June-July,” Clark said. “Over time, nest monitors learn all the behaviors of eagles – what is normal and expected, and what might be unusual signals of nest disruption or failure. Volunteers who do this job over many years become experts in eagle behavior,”
Observers have to be mindful not to disturb the birds.
“It’s all about watching from a distance so the eagles are completely uninterested in you. So it’s not necessarily an up close and personal thing, but it’s fascinating to watch and eventually understand their behaviors.”
She said people enjoy volunteering for a variety of reasons, including spending quiet time in nature, and feeling connected to a specific pair of eagles who tend to inhabit the same nest together for a number of years.
“There can be drama. An interloping adult tries to take over, chicks grow and become more visible to the observer, and they get along or they don’t, the adventure of the young eagles learning to fly.”
There is also the satisfaction of being involved in something important – interaction with people who share the same interests.
If you want to be part of the program, be prepared to commit time. About an hour per week is recommended to monitor a nest between January through July. You will also need binoculars and a telescope due to the distance observers are required to maintain from the nests.
“Most people don’t ask why they should volunteer; those who are interested in wildlife already have their reasons to join the project,” said Clark. “I believe the reward is the time spent with eagles and understanding a bit about their lives.”
Clark has been involved in the project for 39 years, when she started with the NJFW Endangered and Nongame Species Program. She said it has 135 volunteers working in the field.
In 2023 the program monitored 286 nests, of which 255 were active (laid eggs) and the rest were territorial or “housekeeping,” which means they had a nest but did not lay eggs. That usually suggests a new pair.
There are about 23 pairs in Cape May County, and 16 in Atlantic County. To find out how you can get involved contact Conserve Wildlife New Jersey.Visit http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/contact/.
Copy editor and Contributing Writer James FitzPatrick has been a community journalist in Atlantic and Cape May counties for more than 30 years, including 20 years as editor of The Current Newspapers. He lives in Hammonton.
