NJ Bald Eaglets Prepare to Fly for 1st Time

Two bald eaglets in New Jersey were banded by officials last month, weeks ahead of their first flight, which should happen sometime in late June or early July, according to the state's Endangered and Nongame Species Program.

Four towermen from Public Service Electric & Gas climbed a transmission tower in Somerset County last month to place colored identification bands on the birds' legs.

The two eaglets join New Jersey's surging eagle population, which has grown from one nesting pair in 1982 to roughly 150 pairs today, according to the ENSP. PSE&G said there are a half dozen nesting pairs living on its towers across the state.

The eaglets' nest was first spotted by PSE&G on the Roseland-Lambertville transmission line earlier this year. Officials from PSE&G and ENSP kept a close eye on the nest until the eggs hatched. ENSP biologists asked PSE&G for help banding the birds when they reached the age of about 5-to-7-weeks-old.

"We were only too glad to help," Claudia Rocca, a licensing project manager at PSE&G, said.

Towermen for the utility climbed the transmission tower and put the eaglets into large cloth duffle bags one at a time. The birds, a male and female, were then lowered via ropes and pulleys to teammates on the ground. Veterinarians and environmental officials checked the eaglets, taking body measurements and blood samples before banding them with state and federal bands. Each bird weighed 9 pounds.

After a brief photo opportunity, the eaglets were sent back up to the nest. They didn't go back empty handed.

"As a token of our appreciation, we left a fish in the nest for their next meal," Rocca said.

The eaglets will develop their tell-tale white head and tail feathers when they're about 4-to-5-years-old.

Although no longer listed as endangered federally, in New Jersey bald eagles are still listed as endangered species during breeding season. They're also a state and federally protected species under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
 

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