Watch some key highlights from our first season! (Note: parental discretion advised on mating videos.)
Osprey mom with first egg 4-15-22
Osprey dad watches first egg while mom has a snack 4-15-22
Osprey second egg is laid 4-17-22 (This was at night and partially obscured by raindrops.)
Osprey mom and dad switch places on eggs 4-18-22
Prescribed burn in field near osprey nest 4-18-22 (Prescribed burning is done to encourage growth of native plant species and improve animal habitat. As you can see, the female osprey watched carefully, but the birds and the nest are not impacted by this practice.)
A third osprey comes to the nest 4-19-22 (Could this be a sibling from a previous year – a big sister? Mama osprey doesn’t seem to mind the intrusion.)
Fourth egg is laid! 4-22-22 (Happy Earth Day!)
Osprey with fish 4-22-22 (Carson brings a fish for Rachel.)
Osprey female returns with stick and they change places 4-24-22
A deer crosses the driveway by the osprey nest 5-2-22 (Look just to the right of the nest!)
An altercation a the nest? 5-3-22 (Hard to tell exactly what is happening here. An osprey distracts Rachel with a fish, then another appears and seems to chase it away. Maybe this was Carson.)
A squirrel visits the nest at night 5-8-22 (Shortly after midnight, a keen observer noticed a squirrel exploring the bottom of the nest. Look for it appear on the left side, just under the nest.) The flying squirrel returns on 5-18-22.
First egg hatches! 5-23-22 (On May 23rd at 5:53pm, the first chick emerges from its shell. This video was spliced together from a few clips showing some brief glimpses of the chick, plus the osprey mom moving the shell to the side of the nest. Rachel spends most of the early hours sitting on the chick and other eggs to keep them all warm!)
First two chicks being fed 5-24-22 (Some clear early views of the two chicks.)
Feeding two chicks 5-25-22 (A 4-minute clip of Rachel feeding the first two chicks. Carson brings a fish back to the nest, then Rachel feeds herself and the chicks. Great views of the hungry babies!)
Three chicks eat, then nap 5-31-22 (Rachel feeds the 3 chicks, then they settle down for a nap, as she enjoys her own breakfast.)
A rainy morning 6-9-22. Rachel shields the 3 chicks during a downpour then feeds them all once the rain stops.
Morning thunderstorm 6-13-22 (Rachel protects the chicks from a thunderstorm, using her body as an umbrella. This video was spliced together from several clips during a 10-15 minute period, so the lighting strikes seem closer together than they actually were.)
Female visitor 6-13-22 (A third osprey, a female, visited the nest today for about an hour. There definitely appears to be a familial relationship since Rachel does not seem distressed by its presence at all, even when Carson brings a fish back to the nest. The third did not partake in the meal and eventually flew off.)
Chick poops on camera lens 6-16-22 (Ready, aim, fire…! Hopefully the next rain will clear it away.)
Carson returns to nest empty handed then comes back with a fish 6-21-22 (View is still partially obscured – hoping for more rain soon!)
Chicks self feeding 6-30-22 (The oldest chick picks away at the tail of a fish, then a few minutes later, the second claims it for itself. Rachel watched patiently, then later had some and fed the two younger ones.)
Chicks poops on camera again 7-2-22 (With some slo-motion effects added!)
Feeding time 7-3-22 (A long segment with some up-close feeding. Mainly the 2 larger chicks, then towards the end, one carries a piece away and the smallest one gets a few bites.)
Third poop shot 7-3-22 (The final blow… in slow-motion!)
Learning to fly 7-10-22 (Almost!)
Early liftoffs 7-15-22 (With a lot of wing-flapping effort, one of the chicks manages to hover a bit over the nest! Watch the full clip to see it happen twice.)
First fledge 7-20-22 (Rachel had left the nest a few minutes earlier, leaving the 3 chicks alone. Watch carefully as one of the chicks flies off!)
Second fledge 7-21-22 (This is a long clip, but worth watching it all. Bravo (?) takes a practice jump or two, then contemplates what happens next before going for it. Charlie watches Bravo circle around, then Bravo returns about a minute later. Keep watching as Bravo walks to the front of the nest and we get some great close-ups peering into the camera!)
Which chick is which? 7-21-22 (As they all begin to fledge, it’s becoming harder & harder telling them apart. A lot of hopping and moving around the nest. Can you tell which is which?)
Takeoff and perfect landing 7-21-22 (One of the chicks takes off, circles around a bit, then returns with a perfect landing to the middle of the nest!)
Chick grabs Carson by the foot 7-25-22 (It looked like Carson had a piece of a fish in his talons when he returned to the nest. Hard to see what became of it, but he didn’t seem fazed by the chick grabbing his foot.)
Over the edge then back 7-26-22 (Two chicks tussle, then “fall” over the edge of the nest. At first glance it appears they both returned within about 15-20 seconds, but it is actually Rachel that returns first, then one of the chicks. Then the second chick made a safe return several minutes later, beyond this video clip.)
Morning fish delivery to Charlie 8-15-22
Squirrel visits nest at night 8-15-22 (Charlie watches as a squirrel visits the nest. It’s probably interested in some food scraps, and Charlie doesn’t seem to mind too much. It’s certainly not the threat it used to be when there were eggs in the nest!)
Charlie lands with a fish and poses for the camera 9-11-22
Video of Charlie taken from the ground. (Thanks, Dena – now we know what he/she sounds like!)
Owl on nest 11-23-22 (A great horned owl visits the nest for a few minutes at night on Thanksgiving Eve! Owls have been known to displace ospreys in springtime territorial battles. Last season, a nest pole at the nearby Wampanoag headquarters was occupied by a nesting pair. Maybe we’ll be watching owlets instead of osprey chicks next year? Here’s another shorter video a few minutes later where you can hear the owl hooting from a nearby tree. Thanks to Beth for catching it live!)
Owl on nest 1-18-23 (A great horned owl eats what looks like a squirrel on the nest this morning. It sat for about an hour enjoying its early morning meal. This video is about a one-minute montage from the event. Thanks AC for reporting the activity!)
If you’d like to see a list of questions other viewers have asked, please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Ospreys and the Nest Cam. You may also want to read this article to learn more about ospreys on Cape Cod.
This opportunity for a bird’s eye view of a beloved bird’s habitat is the result of a collaboration between The Friends of Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge, which helped plan and locate the site for this unique “nest cam,” the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, one of the Refuge partners, and Comcast, which generously provided the equipment, installation and broadband connectivity to power this viewing experience.
Learn more about osprey on Cape Cod.
If you’d like to show your appreciation for the nest cam, please Support the Friends of Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge! Thank you in advance!