Report: Bald eagle continues to make comeback in New Jersey

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Once on the verge of extinction in New Jersey, the bald eagle population in the continued its comeback last year with more than 200 born in the state, according to a new report.

In addition to the births, 23 new pairs of eagles were found, according to the Conserve Wildlife Foundation's annual report.

The CWF estimates the number of births by monitoring 156 known nest sites during mating season. Of those nests, 115 produced 201 baby eagles, the report said.

About 43 percent of the nests are in the Delaware Bay region - Salem and Cumberland counties.

NJ.com reported that the CWF also paid particular attention to two baby bald eagles it has fitted with GPS devices in an effort to learn more about their movements.

One, a male named Nacote, has flown more than 1,000 miles since the backpack-like device was attached in May when he was about eight weeks old. He flew to Quebec, Canada in the summer and has made stops at a lake in Pennsylvania and at Six Flags Great Adventure during his travels.

Of late, Nacote has been spending time around the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in the Oceanville section of Galloway. The other eagle, a female named Millville, journeyed to the Chesapeake Bay over the summer before being found dead along a Delaware road in November.

According to the CSW, 21 eagles have been found dead or injured in the past year.

While most were recovered in rural areas in South Jersey, one adult bald eagle was found dead in Newark in early September. It died on impact, most likely after striking wires in the area, the report notes.

Though the species hasn't been on the federal endangered list since 2007, bald eagles are still considered endangered in New Jersey.

The use of a pesticide had reduced to the state's population of bald eagle pairs to one in 1970. The bald eagle population grew slowly after use of the pesticide was banned, the CWF report said.

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