Lone Surviving Bald Eaglet Takes 1st Flight At Duke Farms: Video

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — The only surviving bald eaglet at Duke Farms in Hillsborough for 2026 has taken its first flight, which was captured on video. (See the video below)

The chick, labeled as "H72" fledged on Mother's Day. He took his first flight around 5:20 p.m. on Sunday.

See the chick's first flight below:

This is the only chick of three eggs to survive for the 2026 season at the Duke Farms eagle nest in Hillsborough.

The Bald Eagle pair laid three eggs for 2026. One egg was found not viable on Feb. 20 after prematurely cracking. The single surviving chick hatched on Feb. 22.

On March 4, the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ said that the remaining egg "is no longer viable and will most likely end up being buried in the nest over time."

The first egg arrived on Jan. 12 at 2:50 p.m. The second egg was laid on Jan. 15 at 12:42 p.m. And the third on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 3:31 p.m., during a snowstorm.

Duke Farms is located on 2,700 acres at 1112 Dukes Parkway W in Hillsborough.

"Duke Farms is a living lab where we develop model strategies for nature restoration, wildlife conservation, and clean energy transition," according to dukefarms.org.

This is the nest's 22nd season, with 2024 bringing a new pair of parents after the longtime male went missing in the summer of 2023. Read More: New Male Bald Eagle Joins Duke Farms Nest, Pair Gets Ready For 2024

The egg and the bald eagle parents can be seen on Duke Farms' Eagle cam, which livestreams the nest 24 hours a day, seven days a week at dukefarms.org/eaglecam.

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