HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — The first egg of 2020 or even this decade at Duke Farms has arrived. A new female Bald Eagle that took over the nest at Dukes Farms has wasted no time making her mark when she laid the first egg of the season on Monday.

"We are excited to announce the Duke Farms Bald eagles laid their first egg of the 2020 season. After successfully nesting for 12 years, resulting in an impressive 25 fledges, the bald eagle nest continues to amaze and inspire viewers throughout the world. The bald eagle's incredible recovery from the brink of extinction is a testament to the hard work of passionate biologists and conservationists," said Nora DiChiara, director of programs and strategic planning at Dukes Farms. The new female bird somehow replaced the other female at the end of the 2019 nesting season, possibly in mid-September.



Last year Duke Farms saw two eggs hatched at the nest. Since 2004 when the nest was discovered it has had 25 fledges, been destroyed by Superstorm Sandy, then rebuilt by the eagles less than a 100 feet away from the original nest.

There has been one male and three females throughout the nest existence (although not at the same time). Bald Eagles in the wild live to around 20 years.

To catch a glimpse of the new female watch the Dukes Farms camera live, 24 hours a day at dukefarms.org/eaglecam.



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