The Eagles are having one of the most amazing years of all time! No, we’re not talking about our favorite football team. Last year, 335 baby eaglets hatched from 250 confirmed nests across the state, according to the New Jersey Bald Eagle Project Report. That’s a healthy jump from 2021, when 222 nests were observed. But you really have to look back further in history to get just how high eagles have soared. In the early 1980s, they were all but extinct in New Jersey – no thanks to DDT, an insecticide that was banned in the early ’70s.

“Conservation efforts such as protecting sen-sitive eagle nesting and wintering areas, engaging and educating the public, and tracking eagles’ movements have all contributed to the enormous success,” says Fish and Wildlife Assistant Commis-sioner Dave Golden. “It’s a remarkable story that gets better with each passing year.”