Eagle Cam
Welcome to the Eagle Cam, a collaboration with Duke Farms, to help raise awareness for nesting bald eagles in New Jersey.
Bald Eagles are extremely sensitive to human disturbance. At no time should anyone approach nesting eagles. People who want to observe or photograph eagles and who come too close may actually cause the birds to abandon a nest.
Located on Duke Farms in central New Jersey, the Eagle Cam allows viewers an up close and personal view into the lives of a pair of bald eagles as they breed, incubate, and raise young. It is a perfect tool for teaching about wildlife and covers a variety of topics including animal behavior, bird biology and natural history, endangered species, food webs, contamination, and MORE!
>> Read our e-book: Duke Farms' Bald Eagles
2019 Duke Farms Eagle Cam Nest Updates
June 24, 2019
E/88 fledged on June 15th. This afternoon he made an appearance in the nest.
The next day E/87 was perched on a branch next to the nest and appeared to slip off the branch. We don't know if she landed on a lower branch or on the ground. At this point she was 11 weeks of age and old enough to be able to work her way off the ground. After not seeing her on the nest cam for a few days Duke Farms staff got permission to go and look for E/87 at the nest. They didn't see her on the ground or in the area. She is hopefully up in one of the close by trees.
E/88 has fledged but his movements won't appear on Eagle Trax until he moves away from the nest area.
June 24, 2019:E/88 returns to nest.June 13, 2019
Both chicks are branching.
Duke Farms has posted a video of the May 25th nest visit.
June 13, 2019
June 10, 2019
The chicks are now ten weeks old. They are flapping their wings and hopping around the nest. When they perch up on one of the branches it's called "branching". All of this is to strengthen their wings in preparation for their first flight. Eagle chicks can fledge as early as ten weeks, but it all depends on the birds. Even after they take the first flight they'll remain in the nest area for a few weeks learning to fly and hunt on their own. Since E/88 has a transmitter we'll be able to see where he goes once he does leave the nest area.
In NJ forty-nine eagle chicks have fledged so far this nesting season.
June 10, 2019- branching
June 10, 2019
May 28,2019
The Duke Farms chicks were banded on Saturday the 25th. We have been getting many questions about the banding and transmitter. Duke Farms has posted a blog with information and FAQ's in collaboration with Kathy Clark, Principal Biologist at NJDEP ENSP.
Eagle biologists have been banding young eagles for more than 30 years, over 450 chicks have been banded, and the adults never abandon the nest or chicks. Further, the same adults maintain their residence in the nest area year round and continue to use the same nests annually. All precautions are taken with the health and well being of the eagles in mind, and completing the work as quickly as possible. The Duke Farms nest has had 15 chicks banded since 2007.
To learn more about other eagles we are currently tracking and have tracked go to Eagle Trax.
May 26, 2019
May 9, 2019
The chicks are almost six weeks old and getting darker as they get more feathers. They are walking around the nest and stretching their wings. Over the next few weeks the chicks will begin flapping their wings and hopping around the nest. These activities will help to strengthen the muscles they'll soon need for flight. The adults are still feeding the chicks, but the chicks are picking at prey, such as the turtle shells in the nest, soon they'll start feeding themselves.
At the banding biologists will take measurements of the nestlings bill and tarsus. These measurements will confirm the sex of each chick. Female eagles are larger then the males. Any guesses at the sex of the Duke Farm nestlings?
May 9, 2019
May 3, 2019
The chicks are getting bigger and darker everyday! You can see the difference from this screen shot today compared to last weeks update.
May 3, 2019
Nest Sanitation
Eagles keep the nest clean. If you haven’t yet seen them in action, the chicks back up to the edge of the nest and projectile poop over the edge! This helps to keep the nest clean. The "whitewash" in bird poop (why it's mostly white) is the bird's urine. Kidneys filter the blood, and the nitrogen wastes are excreted as urine. Eagles and eaglets also cast pellets and they can appear to be vomiting or chocking when doing so. The pellets contain prey parts that couldn’t be digested, such as feathers, fur, fish scales, etc. These items are squeezed into a pellet in the bird’s gizzard and then expelled.
Eagle Banding
We have been asked if and when the Duke Farms chicks will be banded. Eagle nests are usually visited when the chicks are six weeks of age. There is exciting news this year: Duke Farms has generously paid for a transmitter, that will be placed on one of the chicks. This means that the nest visit, banding and transmitter placement will happen when the chicks are eight weeks of age. Eagle cam viewers will be able to view the movements of eagle with the transmitter once it fledges.
To see eagles that are currently being followed go to EagleTrax.
April 24, 2019
The chicks are three and a half weeks old and they are starting to develop pin feathers along the edge of the wings. In the photo below you can see the dark pin feathers on the chick to the left. Pin feather is a term for newly forming feathers. As each feather develops, it is encased in a thin shaft of waxy keratin (like your fingernails), which will eventually fall off or be pulled off by the eaglet this allows the new feather to unfurl and grow to its full size. For the next few weeks the chicks will have a mixture of down and feathers. By eight weeks of age they will be almost fully feathered.
Eagle fact: Adult eagles can have around 7,000 feathers on their bodies.
April 23, 2019
April 15, 2019
The chicks are going into their third week since hatching. The parents are providing a steady supply of food. After eating a meal you can see that the chick’s crops are full (the crop is a pouch on the chick’s chest where extra food is stored). The chicks are starting to get their second coat of down which is a darker, woollier down. It's now noticeable on their backs and wings. You’ve probably noticed the chick’s large yellow feet. Both their feet and bills will grow to adult size first, giving them a slightly awkward appearance until their bodies catch up. As the days get warmer sometimes the chicks will be alone in the nest. Don't worry an adult is always close by, just not in camera range.
April 15, 2019
April 8, 2019
The two chicks are now a week old. They are quite adorable at this age but will grow quickly and be almost the size of an adult eagle by six weeks. The below screen shot shows the "pantry" stocked full of fish and a turtle. The chicks are both getting fed very well. The bald eagle's rate of growth is faster than any other North American bird, eagle chicks add one pound to their body weight every four or five days.
NJ Eagle News:
167 nests are known to have laid eggs so far this season and 98 of those have hatched. Some of the early nesters already have chicks that are six weeks old. We wouldn't know any of this information without the dedicated Eagle Project volunteers. They monitor nests in all different kind of situations and don't have the close views inside the nest, like we do with the eagle cam.
April 8, 2019
April 4, 2019
Rick Weiman captured this screen shot of the entire DF family together. He said that both adults were feeding the chicks at the same time.
So far over eighty bald eagle nests have hatched in NJ.
April 3, 2019
April 1st, 2019
Today we've gotten good looks at the two chicks during feeding sessions. You'll notice that the older chick is pecking at the younger one. This is common behavior among chicks. The adults are bringing plenty of food to the nests and both chicks are being fed.
April 1st, 2019: feeding session
March 31, 2019
The second has hatched! Chick number two was completley out of the shell at 11:50. The adult was feeding the first chick as the second chick was hatching.
March 31, 2019:9:52am chick is using egg tooth to crack shell
March 31, 2019: 11:50am
March 30, 2019
First egg hatched at 7:59am this morning. Eagle Project volunteer Diane Cook caught this screen shot of the chick starting to hatch out of the egg early this morning. The adults will feed the chick and continue to incubate the egg.
Zoom+ 3/30/19- first chick hatching from egg.
March 29, 2019
We have been on hatch alert since yesterday. The parents did seem to be looking down into the nest more, and could have been hearing the chick peeping in the egg. This morning at 7:56 Kathy Clark with ENSP, captured this screen shot of the pip. The chick will use it's egg tooth to break the shell open, it can take 24 hours for the chick to completley come out of the egg.
March 29, 2019; 7:56am pip
March 14, 2019
The pair has a two egg clutch this season. They are three weeks into incubation.
1st egg laid 2/20- ~ hatch date 3/27
2nd egg laid 2/23- ~ hatch date 3/30
March 14, 2019
February 24, 2019
The second egg was laid yesterday the 23rd ~5:40. A third egg could be laid most likely Tuesday.
February 24, 2019
February 23, 2019
2nd egg laid today at 5:40
We are waiting for the second egg to be laid. Today an immature intruder eagle was seen on the cam and was chased off by the female, who then returned to incubate the egg. The male brought a snack of rabbit to the nest for the female and while she was eating we got a nice view of the nest bowl with the egg.
February 23, 2019
February 20, 2019
The first egg was laid today at 3:14
February 20, 2019 3:14 pm
See the most recent blog; Duke Farms: A 19 year old Dad and a pair of siblings, for updates on the Duke Farms pair and offspring.
February 8, 2019
Both adults have been seen frequently at the nest. Last year the pair laid their first egg on Valentine's Day, so we could be getting close to incubation. Nest cam viewer Diane Cook, captured this screen shot of Great Horned Owls visting the nest.
Great horned owls visit nest 2/1/19
Stayed tuned for Monday's Blog with updates on Duke Farms eagles past and present.
January 15, 2019
A Duke Farms Alumni was spotted on January 13th, 2019 in Mercer County, NJ. You'll find all the details in the blog Duke Farms Alumni D/99: All Grown Up
January 11th
So far the camera has been streaming and eagle activity at the nest has been minimal. If you see some action, please post a screen shot of it to our interaction page!
Duke Farms Eagle Cam FAQ’s
How long have eagles been nesting at Duke Farms?
The eagle nest at Duke Farms was first discovered in the fall of 2004. The pair started using the nest in 2005. In the fall of 2012 Hurricane Sandy's 70+ mph tore off the upper half of the nest tree, destroying the nest completely (the camera and camera tree were spared). The pair built a new nest 100ft south of the eagle camera in late December 2012. The view of the nest was limited by branches and leaves during the 2013 nesting season.
In what type of tree is the nest located?
In December 2012 the pair built a new nest in a sycamore tree.
How high is the nest?
The nest is about 80 feet high.
How long has the camera been at the nest?
The camera was set up in 2008 and transmitted the picture beginning in March 2008. In the fall of 2013 the camera was moved to the new nest tree.
Zoom+ Duke Farms eagle nest camera.
Where is the camera located?
The camera is in the nest tree positioned above to view the nest from above. The camera can be maneuvered remotely to pan, tilt and zoom.
How many young have been raised in this nest?
A total of 23 eagle chicks have been raised and fledged from this nest since 2005.
2005- 1 chick
2006- 2 chicks
2007- 1 chick
2008- 2 chicks
2009- 3 chicks
2010- 2 chicks
2011- 2 chicks
2012- 1 chick
2013- 2 chicks
2014- 3 chicks
2015- 2 chicks
2016- 2 chicks
2017- didn't incubate
2018- failed, 2eggs
When do the birds start incubating?
In 2016, the pair started incubating on February 18th.
Are the adult eagles banded?
In 2009 and 2010 it was noted that both the male and female were NJ- banded birds, because they each had a green color band on one leg and a silver federal band on the other. In 2011, however, there was a new female in the pair, which we know because she was not banded.
Have any of the chicks been banded?
Yes, the chicks were banded in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014.
2007- 1 chick- male
2009- 3 chicks- males
2010- 2 chicks-females
2011- 2 chicks- males
2014- 3 chicks- 2 males, 1 female
2016- 2 chicks- females
How is the eagle cam funded?
Duke Farms hosts the eagle camera and the internet connection. The Endangered and Nongame Species Program and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ support their work and conduct the on-site banding and provide biological consulting.
How many eagle nests are in NJ?
In 2018 there were 204 nesting eagle pairs monitored in New Jersey. One hundred eighty-five of these were active (laid eggs) and 121 were successful in producing 172 young.
To learn more about eagles in New Jersey you can read the
Learn More:
 | 2018 NJ Bald Eagle Project Report - 5.2MB |
 | 2018 Duke Farms Eagle Cam Updates - 11KB |
| 2017 Bald Eagle Project Report - 937.9KB |
| 2017 Duke Farms Eagle Cam Nest Updates - 203.4KB |
| 2016 Bald Eagle Project Report - 1.4MB |
| 2016 Eagle Cam Nest Updates - 102.5KB |
| 2015 Bald Eagle Project Report - 2.2MB |
| 2015 Eagle Cam Nest Updates - 701.0KB |
| 2014 Eagle Cam Nest Updates - 210.8KB |
| 2014 Bald Eagle Project Report - 4.8MB |
| 2013 Bald Eagle Project Report - 1.0MB |
| 2013 EagleCam Nest Updates - 19.8KB |
| 2012 Bald Eagle Project Report - 1.3MB |
| 2011 EagleCam Nest Updates - 59.8KB |
| 2010 Eagle Cam Nest Updates - 31.0KB |
| Adopt a Species - Bald eagle - 197.5KB |
Find Related Info: Bald Eagles, Raptors
The Return of Bald Eagles in New Jersey Story Map
Use interactive web-mapping and multi-media to learn about the recovery of bald eagles in New Jersey between 1985 & 2015.
Educators!
Download lesson plans and activities to enhance your use of the EagleCam in the classroom! Download fun facts about bald eagles, activities about raptors, journaling pages for students, and MUCH MORE!