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Bald Eagles Make Home Near Major New Jersey Expressway

TURNERSVILLE, N.J. (CBS)  - Majestic and inspiring are words often used to describe seeing bald eagles in their natural habitat.

In the Whitman Square section of Washington Township, residents like Frank Leonetti have another word to describe a nesting pair – neighbor.

"If you didn't know it was there you wouldn't see it, but we know that it's there and our eyes go right to it as you come out of the house," says Leonetti, who can see the nest directly over the house across the street.

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Witnesses say the nest has been in the woods between Whitman Square and the Atlantic City Expressway for several years. The nest is as big as the bed of a truck.

A surprised driver alerted Eyewitness News when he saw the enormous nest so close to the busy highway and the homes.

"It's such a beautiful sight, especially at this time of the year and in the fall," says Jan Shea, who provides in home health care assistance in the neighborhood.

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The nest has been identified by the New Jersey Bald Eagle Project as the Turnersville Nest.

Records show the pair hatched two baby eaglets last spring and since eagles can reproduce each year, it's possible the pair has eggs right now.

According to New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, the bald eagle in New Jersey has rebounded from just one known nesting pair in 1970 to currently more than 150 active nests.

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