By David Madden

Trenton (CBS) – If you look up in the skies over South Jersey and see a Bald Eagle soaring above you, don’t be surprised. There’s a whole lot more of the endangered bird in our area nowadays.

There are more than 100 nests scattered across the Garden State, which is a milestone for people like Kathleen Clark, supervising biologist in the Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Back in the 80s, when she started working for the agency, there was just one. But federal protections paired with the banning of DDT has helped clean up waterways, says Clark.

“We have great water habitats between the Atlantic Coast and the Delaware Bay and the major tributaries and, of course, the Delaware River.”

After all, the birds have to eat and where they can find fish; they tend to set up a home. Sixty percent of the nests in New Jersey can be found in rural Cumberland and Salem Counties. Eastern Pennsylvania’s also seen more bald eagle nests…mostly near the Delaware River.

The Conserve Wildlife Foundation maintains a blog about the New Jersey eagles at www.ConserveWildlifeNJ.org.