Few birds capture the public imagination like our national bird, the bald eagle. The iconic birds were once on the brink of extinction, with just one nesting pair existing in New Jersey as recently as the 1980s. But a push to save the bald eagle in recent decades has achieved immense success. Last year, bald eagle nests were found in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties.
According to a new report by state scientists, a record 222 active bald eagle nests were found in the state in 2021. More than half of those were in South Jersey near the Delaware Bay.
Kathleen Clark, a biologist with the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife who leads the state’s bald eagle studies, discusses the remarkable comeback of the bald eagle.
