Carson(?) returns! A full week earlier than last year (this was probably not last year’s resident male, Carson). (3-17-24)
Nest defense (1) Defense of the nest and its potential mate by the male. (3-29-24)
Nest defense (2) Another clip of fierce defensive actions by the male (was the attacker Carson?). (3-29-24)
More territorial battles A 5-minute clip of several nest and aerial skirmishes between 3 ospreys. (3-30-24)
Mating Carson seems to have been the victor, but note the red spot on his chest, an apparent battle wound. (3-31-24)
First egg The first egg was laid sometime today. Here Rachel gives us a good view of it. (4-11-24)
First two eggs The second egg was laid sometime this morning. Here’s a good view of the first two eggs. (4-13-24)
Switching places Carson takes a turn sitting on the eggs so Rachel can stretch her wings and maybe find something to eat. (4-16-24)
Third egg laid! Rachel lays the third egg just after noon today! (4-16-24)
Fourth egg laid! The 4th egg was laid this afternoon. Here, Rachel gives us a better view of all four! (4-19-24)
Carson feeding Rachel. The eggs are getting close to hatching. Rachel keeps them warm and dry on this cold rainy day, but still needs to eat. (5-18-24)
First chick! Rachel gives us a view of the tiny first chick (“Hotel”) which hatched within the past hour. (5-19-24)
First chick being fed. Just several hours old, the hungry first chick is fed. (5-19-24)
Chick #2. It’s hard to make out, but look closely and you’ll see two chicks (“Hotel” and “India”). (5-20-24)
Nest work Rachel and Carson work together to build up the nest, giving some good views of the first two chicks. The nest is becoming much more bowl-shaped to corral them in. (5-20-24)
Feeding A clear view of the first two chicks being fed. (5-21-24)
Third chick! Rachel feeds the first two chicks while the newly hatched third (Juliet!) flops around behind them. It did manage to get a few bites later. (5-23-24)
Trash removal The black trash bag gets removed from the nest in a heroic effort by Mick Moriarty and the Falmouth Osprey Project. Many thanks to their team for averting potential tragedy in the nest! Donate to the Osprey Project. (5-26-24)
Four chicks being fed Even the youngest gets some. (5-27-24)
Sadly, the youngest and smallest chick (Kilo) did not survive. They face long odds in nature, and this is not unusual. Upon a loss, the parents move on quickly; they have other mouths to feed. Their job is to do their part to ensure the survival of their species. Rachel and Carson have shown us they do this well. Let’s root for the other three to continue to thrive. (6-3-24)
Rachel and the chicks eat breakfast. (6-5-24)
Visiting osprey Another osprey visits the nests during a feeding. Carson returns as well and things seemed amicable at first, until, after about 10 minutes, the intruder decides to take what’s left of the fish for herself. (6-9-24)
Breakfast at sunrise. Rachel shares her breakfast with the nestlings as they watch the sunrise. (6-16-24)
Food delivery. The chicks are getting big. The nest is getting crowded. Especially when Carson delivers a fish. (7-12-24)
First fledge!. At 55 days old, “Hotel” is now officially a fledgling. (7-13-24)
Hotel returns.. After a day away, Hotel finally returns. It took a few approaches, followed by a near crash-landing where one of the siblings got knocked over, but all are finally safe & sound back in the nest. (7-14-24)
Rachel on empty nest.. Rachel watches the last chick (Juliet?) fly off. All 3 chicks have now fledged, but they’ll keep returning for several more weeks for meals and safe shelter. (7-20-24)
Raccoon! As one of the chicks (Juliet?) guards the nest at night, a brazen raccoon challenges it. (7-24-24)
Tug of War Two of the juveniles fight over a fish, a valuable commodity in the nest. In the end (not shown), the second chick won out and devoured the entire meal in about 15 minutes. (8-17-24)
Owl v Osprey! An owl confronts Juliet at night. This clip combines 3 segments, the owl landing on the nest, then a few minutes later dive-bombing her, twice. Juliet held her ground in her defense of the nest. Well done! (9-5-24)
Hawk on nest. A Cooper’s Hawk (or maybe a Red-shouldered Hawk) visits the vacant nest. The ospreys are rarely seen by now and may have begun their migration south. (9-13-24)
Another hawk on the otherwise empty nest. (12-4-24)
Two squirrels burrowing under and through the nest. Pay attention to the sticks moving in front of the nest. (12-15-24)
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!