Nest platform blows off 4-1-23 (Stay tuned to the main nest cam page for updates on planned repairs.)
Nest platform repair 4-2-23 (Thanks again to all who made this possible!)
Nest building 4-8-23 (This is a montage of twig gathering activity over a 35-minute period. Notice how it’s the male who brings most of the twigs to the nest. This is typical of osprey behavior; the female does the arranging.)
Rachel lays the first egg of 2023 season 4-18-23!
Third egg 4-23-23! (on a really windy day)
Four eggs 4-26-23! (Not sure when the last one was laid, but here’s a great view of the four eggs.)
Early view of first chick 5-26-23. (It hatched sometime around 8am this morning. Here’s a good view of it while Carson is working on the nest and seems to accidently hit the chick with a stick! I think the chick got it’s first feeding soon after, but it was obscured by Rachel.) Here’s better view of the chick out front 5-26-23. (Sounds like Rachel is teaching it how to call for food!)
First 2 chicks being fed 5-30-23. (Chick #1 hatched 5/26; Chick #2 5/27.)
Three chicks 5-31-23. (Third chick hatched 5/30.)
Three chicks feeding 6-1-23. (Carson brings a fish to the nest and the 3 chicks enjoy an early breakfast.)
Fish delivery to 4 chicks 6-1-23. (Chick #4 hatched today 6/1. Great view of all 4 about to be fed.)
Live fish delivery 6-2-23. (Small fish brought back to the nest, but watch it jump across the nest when Carson releases it.)
Sadly, the two younger chicks (Foxtrot and Golf) didn’t make it through a few days of cold, wet and raw conditions. Rachel made a valient effort to keep the newborn chicks warm and dry during the harsh conditions. She looked miserable herself, but still did her best to shield the babies from the elements. Rachel and Carson are driven by survival, of themselves and their offspring, and are true heroes fighting the odds and the forces of nature. It’s incredibly sad to see this play out the way it did, but we are fortunate that two chicks survived this onslaught. I know we all share the hope that the remaining 2 will continue to beat the odds and successfully fledge. 6-5-23
Live fish hits chick 6-7-23 (Delta gets a little too close to a live fish and takes a tumble. He/she cowers for a bit but then comes back for more.)
Feeding 6-10-23 (The two chicks being fed by Rachel.)
Big fish delivery 6-10-23 (A delivery of a large, live fish by Carson.)
Thunderstorm Part One 6-14-23 and Thunderstorm Part Two 6-14-23 (Rachel shields the chicks from a thunderstorm.)
Another big fish delivery 6-24-23 (The chicks are getting big!)
Some early self-feeding 6-29-23 (The chicks alternate between being fed by Rachel and taking some bites on their own. Based on who was fed first and some pecking a few minutes earlier, I think the chick in the foregraound is Delta.)
Rachel wards off an interloper 7-1-23
One of the chicks enjoys a fish 7-1-23
Chicks singing chorus 7-7-23 (Rachel calls, the chicks repeat in chorus.)
Rachel wards off an intruder as the chicks lay low. 7-13-23
Learning to fly 7-14-23 (Both chicks flapping and hopping, almost hovering.)
Rachel brings fish to nest 7-15-23, then chick #1 (Delta?) takes it from Rachel. Rachel tries to take it back in a tug-of-war with Delta. Chick #2 (Echo) tries to take the fish but Delta wins out. Carson brings a second fish. Echo and Rachel fight over this one, but Rachel wins out. Rachel eats and shares the second fish with Echo while Delta has the first fish to itself. All enjoy a good breakfast!
Early jumps and near lift-offs 7-15-23.
First chick fledges 7-21-23. (Delta leaves the nest as Echo watches!)
Second chick fledges 7-22-23. (Rachel coaches and watches Echo take flight!)
Thunderstorm 7-27-23. (The fledglings try to ward off an impending thunderstorm, as Rachel watches on. As the rain gets heavier, all they can do is shake it off!)
Missed landing 8-4-23. (One of the juveniles flies off in a pelting rainstorm, then returns shortly later but misses the landing, seemingly dropping to the ground. This caused enough concern for one viewer to come to the nest in the morning to investigate. Thankfully, all was well!)
Big fish 8-5-23. (Rachel and one of the chicks work on tearing apart a large fish.)
Pink sky at sunset 8-5-23. (Watch this fast-forward clip as one of the chicks and Rachel enjoy a fish under a beautiful evening sky.)
Shark attack! 8-8-23 (A fish is deliverd to the nest – this time a baby shark. Between the raindrops and a lot of flapping wings, you can get some clear views of an unusual feast. Luckily, the shark was the prey and not the other way around!)
Bluebirds on nest 10-12-23. (The ospreys have left for the season and some bluebirds frolic and enjoy some leftovers.)
Red tailed hawk lands on nest 10-22-23. (Today a red-tailed hawk landed on the nest to check out the view.)
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!