Contact:

SANDY PERRY, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
PHONE: 908-234-1225, EXT. 104
SANDY@NJCONSERVATION.ORG

The eaglet is banded!

Bald eagle chick back in nest at Franklin Parker Preserve

The bald eagle chick has a bird's eye view of New Jersey Conservation Foundation's Franklin Parker Preserve in Chatsworth,  Burlington County, as it sits in its nest high above the ground. The five-week-old eaglet was banded by state biologists on May 2.

The first step in the banding was to temporarily remove the eaglet from the nest. Biologist Mick Valent of the state Division of Fish and Wildlife wraps a climbing strap around the tall pine tree and ascends toward the eagle nest. Once he reaches the nest, he carefully bundles the eaglet into a cloth bag and loweres it to colleagues waiting on the ground.

Dr. Erica Miller, a veterinarian with Tri-State Bird Rescue of Newark, Del., draws a vial of blood from the eaglet. The blood will be tested for a wide range of contaminants, including heavy metals, DDT, dioxin and PCBs. The eaglet is wearing a leather falconry hood and has its legs wrapped in soft tape to prevent it from harming itself.

Still in the leather hood, the eaglet gets two aluminum bands. The silver band is from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, while the green band is from the state. The C-61 on the state band is large enough to be seen in the future through strong binoculars or a spotting scope.

Tom Palchanes, a volunteer for New Jersey Conservation Foundation at the Franklin Parker Preserve, gets to hold the eaglet once the hood is taken off. The chick was alert but not alarmed, and was returned to its nest a few minutes later.