Conserve Wildlife Blog

Posts Tagged ‘eagle cam’

History of The Duke Farms Eagle Pair

Thursday, March 2nd, 2023

by Larissa Smith, Senior Biologist

The Duke Farms eagle cam is extremely popular and just this week viewers watched as two chicks hatched. These two chicks will be watched by a multitude of viewers over the next few months as they grow to become juveniles and leave the nest. As with anything in Nature, this pair has had it’s ups and downs. I wanted to summarize the history of this pair and nest. The male is a NJ banded bird (A/59) and has been in the pair from the beginning, he is 23 years old. Interestingly, there have been several females in the pair over the years. Thank you to Duke Farms for hosting the cam and their tech team that keeps it running smoothly when issues arise. The cam location has changed as well as the cam itself over the years and the quality of the picture has improved.

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Duke Farms Bald Eagles Hatch Two of Three Eggs

Thursday, March 11th, 2021

by Larissa Smith, Wildlife Biologist

The two Duke Farms bald eagle chicks peek out from under their parent to catch some sun.

It looks like the Duke Farm’s nest will only have two chicks this season.

One egg remains in the nest bowl and is still being incubated, but based on when the second chick hatched, March 1st, it should have hatched by now. We won’t know for certain why the egg didn’t hatch, but one theory is that it was the first egg laid.

There had been intruder eagles at the nest and fights between the adults and intruders. At one point both adults were off the nest for 20 minutes while an immature was in the nest. Perhaps something happened to the egg during these incidents.

The egg will eventually get buried in the nest or shoved to the side. The adults are busy bringing food to the nest for feedings and both chicks are getting plenty of food.

Watch the LIVE Duke Farms Eagle Cam by clicking here.

Read more about the New Jersey Eagle Project by clicking here.


NorthJersey.com: Bald eagles nesting in New Jersey

Thursday, March 14th, 2019

Story by North Jersey Record

One of two adult bald eagles near a nest that looks out on Overpeck Creek, where the raptors have been seen for the past few years. (Photo: File photo from northjersey.com)

Bald eagles are New Jersey’s early birds. In the chill of winter, they’re the first to build nests and lay eggs.

Even in the short days of December, these early birds are busy gathering sticks, grass and other materials to build or repair their nests. Only two weeks into the new year, they start laying eggs.

Duke Farms Alumni D/99: All Grown Up

Tuesday, January 15th, 2019

by Larissa Smith: CWF Biologist

On Sunday January 13th, 2019 photographer, Bob Cook was taking photos of the ~20 eagles at a lake in a Mercer County park. He noticed that one of the eagles had a green tag on it’s right leg. After reviewing the photos it was established that the band was D/99.

D/99;1/13/19@ Bob Cook

D/99 is from the Duke Farms nest located in Somerset County. He and his two siblings grew up as a celebrities their every move being watched by viewers of the Duke Farms eagle camera.  The three chicks were banded on May 12th, 2014. Measurements showed that there there were two males and one female, D/99 was the youngest male.  All three fledged from the nest in June 2014.

chicks at Duke Farms nest 5/12/14. D/99 is in the middle.

Unfortunately, in August of 2014 we received a report that D/98, the oldest male, was found dead up in Maine.  He most likely died of injuries that occurred during a fight with another eagle. This most recent sighting of D/99 is the first report of either of the two remaining chicks. D/99 will be five years old in April and reaching the age where he will be looking for a mate and establishing his own territory.  It is always nice to know that a chick has survived to adulthood and most likely has come back to NJ to nest.

D/99 @Bob Cook


Creative Somerset County Science Teacher Wins EagleCam Lesson Plan Contest

Friday, May 27th, 2016
Manville School District science teacher Lauren Kurzius joined biologists to help band Duke Farms EagleCam chicks earlier this month

by Lindsay McNamara, Communications Manager

2016 Lesson Plan Winner Lauren Kurzius

2016 Lesson Plan Winner Lauren Kurzius

Manville School District science teacher Lauren Kurzius was recognized by Duke Farms and Conserve Wildlife Foundation for winning our EagleCam lesson plan contest earlier this month! Kurzius joined wildlife biologists to help band the new Duke Farms EagleCam chicks on Monday, May 9. The EagleCam lesson plan contest, jointly organized by Duke Farms and Conserve Wildlife Foundation, called upon educators to submit lesson plans incorporating the Duke Farms EagleCam into their classrooms.

 

Installed in 2008, the Duke Farms’ EagleCam has provided a streaming look into the daily lives of the eagle family for over 10 million viewers. Kurzius is working with the Duke Farms and Conserve Wildlife Foundation EagleCam team to expand the camera’s potential as an educational vehicle by including her lesson plan for use in classrooms across the country.

 

“Duke Farms is pleased once again to support dedicated New Jersey teachers that bring wildlife ecology into their classrooms. Lauren Kurzius’ winning lesson plan (“Birds of Prey – Who Done it?”) is a terrific introduction to predator-prey interactions, patterns among organisms, and ecosystem viability while allowing them to take on the role of student detective” explained Michael Catania, Duke Farms Executive Director. “Her participation in this year’s banding of the Duke eagle chicks was one of the highlights for our staff, and certainly a thrill for her students in Manville, New Jersey to watch.”

 

The EagleCam became a prominent teaching tool in Kurzius’ classroom in 2013. She had begun viewing the eagles in 2011 and recognized its potential for using it in the classroom immediately. Regarding the banding process, she says it was “priceless,” adding, “I connected with educators, scientists, and environmentalists. I get to share that with my current students and my future students. When you have new experiences, it leads to authentic teaching. Maybe my experience will inspire one of my students to follow a career path in science and that makes the banding all worth it.”

From left to right: David Wheeler, Lauren Kurzius, Duke Farms Programs and Community Garden Manager Tanya Sulikowski, Duke Farms Executive Director Michael Catania.

From left to right: David Wheeler, Lauren Kurzius, Duke Farms Programs and Community Garden Manager Tanya Sulikowski, Duke Farms Executive Director Michael Catania.

CWF’s David Wheeler stated that “by exploring science with creativity and a sense of wonder, Lauren Kurzius inspires her students to connect with the natural world around us. That personal connection reveals just how much people can strengthen the environment and benefit wildlife like bald eagles, which have made an awe-inspiring comeback. The Duke Farms webcam offers Lauren’s students and so many others the opportunity to intimately experience the lives of these magnificent creatures.”

 

We were thrilled at the enormous response received from teachers across the state, and will continue to offer the amazing opportunity to teachers in New Jersey! Congratulations, Lauren!

 

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Lindsay McNamara is the Communications Manager for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.