Very high sensitivity CW-Cavity Ring Down spectroscopy of nitrogen near 2.2 μm. A sensitivity of αmin ∼ 1.2 × 10−11 cm−1 was achieved. The O(14) electric quadrupole transition of the 2–0 band of 14N2 was detected. First laboratory detection of an absorption line of the first overtone band of N2. Good agreement with theoretical values for the line positions and line intensities.