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Welcome to “Season Three” of our osprey cam! Get ready for another exciting season of osprey viewing at the Waquoit Bay Reserve, brought to you by the Friends of Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge
If you’d like to show your appreciation for the nest cam, please Support the Friends of Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge! As a nonprofit volunteer organization, we support a wide variety of education, research and stewardship projects within the Mashpee Refuge to ensure the long-term protection and enhancement of native wildlife and habitats.
Thank you in advance!
We are thrilled to offer this live stream of an active pair of Osprey at their nest at Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. The pair are appropriately named Rachel and Carson, after the famed environmentalist.
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.
One of our goals as a community-based nonprofit is to give the public opportunities to enjoy and interact with nature and wildlife. Thanks to Comcast, the live streaming of this osprey nest will broaden our reach to all of Cape Cod and beyond. We are grateful for the opportunity to use the live nest cam for observation, research and education purposes.
View highlights from 2024 (“Season Three”)
View highlights from 2023 (“Season Two”)
View highlights from last year (“Season One”) – mating, egg laying and hatching, feeding and more!
Please feel free to comment below with your observations or any questions you may have. We welcome your comments and questions! 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.
Please note that first-time posters must be approved before comments are displayed, and allow up to 24 hours before your initial post can be seen by others.
Rachel stands perfectly so the babes are all shaded from the morning sun!
Does anyone know what happened to the 4th egg?
I have asked this too, my thoughts are the flying squirrel got to it. A while back you can see it running around and up and down the nest.
I see the egg at 9:00 position. Looks very small compared to babies.
I saw it clearly around 9:00 pm on 7/1. Very surprised it is still there
9:15. Another fish. Just Rachel and little one feasting.
5:30pm….give or take a few minutes,, supper has arrived !!
Nap time after lunch. I love the way Rachel positions her wings over her sleeping babies.
9:09 AM Second fish delivered in just over an hour. All three with full crops this morning (four including Mom). Two very equal and peaceful feedings this AM. Have not seen any infighting in days.
0911 Rachel placed fish right in front of camera so we have a perfect view!
7:25 am chicks are in the nest alone.
was concerned when i tuned in at 8:34 am and didn’t see rachel-just the 3 chicks, but rachel just showed up. has carson brought breakfast? looks like they’re looking for dad
9:15am. rachel has a fish and is feeding
10pm Tuesday
Looks like just 3 chicks in the nest. Is Rachel sleeping elsewhere these nights?
maybe in the tree next to the nest.
Poor Rachel, the chicks take up so much of the nest , I hope there is room for her to get cozy and close her eyes .
no fish for supper tonite
Bob1 just did some impressive “wingersizing” showing off its already huge wing span!
Oops, sorry. I used the terminology “Bob1” from the Loch Archaig nest in Scotland that I watch. I should have said chick #1. In the LA nest, all three chicks are “Bobs” (#1, 2, and 3) right now. I need to keep my chicks straight! 🙂
It’s great to see the nest better now, the “guano” must be drying off and flaking away gradually. Regarding naming, it will be necessary to find some distinguishing markings on the chicks and not rely solely on size as they get larger and fledge. Now that the image is clearer perhaps markings will be identifiable. However as their plumage will change as they mature their identifiable features may also change. Check out this website regarding identifying ospreys beyond being male or female.
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/03/osprey-identification/
We’re happy to see that Mother Nature remains in charge and it’s worked out pretty well. The lens is nearly clear from the bad aim incident (or was it good aim?)! Thanks for sharing the link about osprey markings – the information will be helpful in distinguishing between chicks A, B and C.
Glenn, the article’s focus is on adult ospreys, and specifically how to ID the resident pair from a Loch Archaig nest several years ago on their anticipated return from Africa the following year. It’s an informative and interesting article, but not sure it will help us much with our pre-fledgling chicks. Good screen captures showing details of head markings for our chicks may be a possible way to distinguish who’s who if and when any of them return to the area several years from now.
How about giving the all three chicks gender neutral names such as Avery, Brook and Chris (biggest to smallest)?
As easy as A, B, C! I like it!
Alpha, Bravo, Charlie
Another good one! (I knew a girl in school, a million years ago, named Charlene but everybody called her Charlie, so that’s a perfectly good gender neutral name.)
Why don’t we find a name for the little one that could be either sex. Or do we know for sure that the smallest one is a male? Professional information,please?
We can’t know 100% for sure, but every mated pair of ospreys or eagles I’ve every observed over many decades, either through binoculars or on nest cams, has consisted of a large female and a significantly smaller male. An educated guess at this point would be that Little Bob is a male because his not-much-older siblings are huge by comparison, meaning they’re likely two females. I hope LB is not a female because one that small would never be big enough or strong enough to be able to fill the role of an osprey mom and to attract a male that would find her to be a suitable mate. I like your idea of picking a name that would work for either a male or female. Makes the most sense and covers both bases. 🙂
Don’t forget that the first two chicks were only one day apart, and the third emerged a week later. That’s a significant difference in age and could be the reason for the size difference. From what I’ve learned, it’s too early to distinguish sex.
It will be interesting to see if there’s a change in the difference in size by the time they fledge. Even then, though, we won’t be able to know for sure.
Their chests are getting whiter so maybe the female necklace marking will begin to show soon.
Agreed, a week of growth is a huge difference in these chicks. Gendering these birds will be difficult 12 months from now. Tell me what do you gender interested people think we have here?
Spirit or Skyler? There are lots of good unisex names that would work. Bet we can come up with a list of them to choose from. How does it work with naming — who chooses the names for the chicks?
Feel free to make suggestions, then we can figure out how to decide informally. We won’t know for sure if or where they’ll return in the future. Typically migratory ospreys return to the same general area when they are two years old. It’s possible “Little Bob” (or is it Roberta?) may come back to visit its new siblings in 2024, like another visitor we had this year. Since they are not tagged, we won’t be certain, but it will be a fun story to tell!
🙂
At this point, I think Chick # 3 would be appropriate for the youngest one. You can guess what the other two would be called. 🤗❤️
I took a break from watching with the lense smeared, but now back watching my feathered family again! So glad all 3 chicks are still with us…I feared a sibling murder. Hope this never happens. Yes little Bob is a male with 2 pushy female sisters. So glad little Bob has learned how to push his slight weight around and survive and thrive! Yay!
Anita B
He has done himself proud and is definitely a survivor! One day, hopefully, he’ll be a dad providing food for his own family. 🙂
I always love the underdogs!
I always root for the underdogs too!
Little Bob waited patiently off to the side until #1 and #2 were full before having his (?) lunch with Mom.
And now Rachel has the leftovers all to herself.
Not like He’s getting much to eat … barely leftovers … at one point early on, he tried to get into the feeding fray and got quickly pecked in the face and went into submissive position. When he finally got the chance, he didn’t eat very much because there was little left.
Egg’s back at 9:00 (position, not time). Has anybody seen who’s moving it around? (It reminds me of “Where’s Waldo”.)
Take your pick…. there are 10 feet dancing around in that nest.😎
It’s surprising that with so many feet stepping on it for so long that it’s still unbroken. It must have a really thick or leathery shell!
Lunch delivery.
All chicks well fed and resting now. Rachel finished off the fish around noon!
6/26, 5:13 pm. Carson brought a large fish to the nest. The youngest check maneuvered up near Rachel and ate for over 20 minutes without being hassled by its siblings. Youngest chick moved away when it was full, the older chicks ate until they were full. Then youngest chick came back for seconds and Rachel had a chance to eat. The feeding time lasted over an hour. They should all sleep good tonight.
That’s Great news Kathy. T Y!!!!!
Babies are getting big! how many more weeks till they fly off on their own?
Osprey chicks typically fledge (fly) between 7-8 weeks old. The first chick hatched on May 23rd, so that brings it to the week of July 11th. But don’t worry, they will still return to the nest even as fledglings, so we still have plenty of viewing time after that!
Glenn, will both adults stay in the nest area after the chicks fledge to continue feeding them and to show them how to catch their own food (like eagle parents will do with their fledglings for a couple of months)? I watch another osprey nest cam in Scotland, and word is their female adult will leave as soon as the chicks fledge, while the male adult will stay with the fledglings for a while longer but learning to fish is entirely up to the young ones to figure out. Sounds a lot like throwing a human toddler in a swimming pool to “teach” it how not to drown — a pretty hard lesson that needs to be learned FAST!
I should mention that our ospreys here in Florida don’t migrate. They’re year round residents, though they’re usually only seen at their nest sites from late fall to early spring.
After they fledge, the chicks will still return to the nest for food and be dependent on the parents. Gradually, they will learn to fish on their own and become self-sufficient. We’ll be able to observe if both Rachel and Carson remain or just one. I wish we had a camera on their first fishing lesson!
Wouldn’t that be grand to watch?!
Good to hear…in the nightly feeding the poor thing hardly ate as the bigger ones are eating more and more before moving away.
I’m amazed that as the fledglings get bigger and older they still don’t directly go for the food but wait to gt fed from Rachel.
Shirley, they won’t be called fledglings until they take their first flight (fledge), but it won’t be long before #1 will be the first to self feed — around the time she (?) is about 6 weeks old or so. The other two will follow in succession. It’s fun to watch and Rachel will get a little break from the current frantic feeding procedure.
I’ve seen them occasionally pick at the fish, but usually wait
It’s just amazing watching that beautiful bird shielding the chicks with giant wings. Hot sun for us all today.
I am still not seeing the chicks due to a cloudy spot on the camera. It seems to be getting larger. In the conversation everyone seems to have better viewing. Any suggestions?
You can see what caused the “cloudy spot” in this clip:
https://www.friendsofmashpeenationalwildliferefuge.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Chick-poops-on-camera-lens-6-16-22.mp4
During the morning and late afternoon hours when the sun is low, the spot is more pronounced, and it also depends on where the chicks are positioned in the nest. Mid-day you can get a clearer view. It has gradually been getting better, and there is more rain predicted for Monday and Monday night, which we hope will improve things. If not, we are considering other options to resolve it.
Won’t you have to wait to do anything until the chicks have fledged and left the nest area to go off on their own? I’d be surprised if any human “disturbance” to the nest would be allowed, but I’m in Florida and maybe the rules are different in Massachusetts?
Ospreys are protected by both Federal and State law. However, USDA Wildlife Services offers a fee-based service and may be able to provide trained personnel to assist. We have been in contact with them but no decisions have been reached on how to proceed (still hoping for cooperative weather!). For more information, see:
https://www.mass.gov/service-details/ospreys-in-massachusetts
Glenn, thanks for the link. I’m really surprised to see that a homeowner can hire USDA Wildlife Services for a fee to remove an active nest with eggs or chicks in it. I’m assuming any eggs would be discarded, but what would be done with the chicks — would they be killed? If this is common practice, it seems that ospreys aren’t as well protected by Federal and State law as I thought. I’m VERY glad the problem with the Waquoit Bay nest is just a little poop on a camera lens!
Oh goodness, no, please don’t misunderstand what I said. They typically work with utility companies (or possibly private homes) where a nest presents a safety hazard. I think this is normally done well before eggs or chicks are present. Removing an active nest does not sound like a routine thing they do.
Oh, thank goodness. I was hoping removal of an active was not common occurrence!!!
Leave it be…we are so blessed to have the opportunity to see their world. No need to interrupt such amazing creatures.
Well, that answers that question.
I don’t think it is worth disturbing the chicks or parents at this point! Although a bit annoying, we can still get good views much of the time. It has improved since the first day the squirt occurred!
It’s much better than it was, especially in the morning and early afternoon. You can see the entire nest although there is still a semi-transparent vertical smear down the middle of the screen. The cloudiness is much worse in the late afternoon and early evening when the sun is coming from the west. We’re lucky it cleared up as much as it did.
10:10 pm. June 25th. I checked in to the nest cam at 9:10 pm to see that Rachel was feeding the chicks. I watched all the way until 10:00 pm. She had a large fish and each of the chicks and Rachel each received a good meal. The chicks had settled in at about 9:50 pm so from 9:50 pm until 10:10 pm Rachel was eating the last of the meal herself. A total of about one hour she worked non-stop preparing the meals and cleaning up the scraps. They should rest well tonight. I’m closing this post at 10:22 pm.
I did not see the little get as much as One bite…….
I had pretty clear vision at times. The 2 oldest were resting on the left side of the screen after having their meals. The little one was behind Rachel and pretty much out of my direct view. But I did observe that Rachel did feed he/she without any interference from the other two. Little one did have to wait until the other two were satisfied.
Did anyone see what kind of fish was brought in just after 9 PM? Must have been the biggest one yet as the female is still feeding on it at 9:55.
It was quite a large fish. Seemed like it was a more round shape. I don’t know the various types of fish. Rachel had a tough time with it. Seemed like the flesh was quite tough and Rachel did not have an easy time of it.
9:15 pm Late dinner
The chicks seem to be more comfortable now that the day is cooling down.
I see the egg has ended up back in the middle of the nest. It was nicely tucked away in the rails off to the left side of the nest where it wasn’t in anybody’s way, but someone doing some housekeeping has apparently returned it to its “proper” place. Or was one of the chicks playing with it and rolled it back downhill?
Rachel is doing her best to keep the chicks out of the sun.
6/24/22: 7:00 p.m. I’ve been watching the last 45 minutes or so as Carson brought a fish to the nest. Appears that the 2 oldest were being fed and as they were satisfied they moved away from Rachel and sat down to rest. The youngest then moved closer to Rachel and was the last to be fed but I do think it too was able to get a good meal.
When can you tell the sex of the baby chicks?
We can’t tell. We can only guess based on their sizes at fledging. A fledgling that is much larger than a sibling is likely a female and a small fledgling is likely a male, but there’s no way we, as observers, can confirm that.
The little chick is trying so hard to get so food
What happened with the 4th egg? I looked through comments and didn’t see a mention what was done with it.
I wondered the same. I saw her lay the 4th egg and then no mention of when it disappeared, I am wondering if the flying squirrel that was in the nest destroyed it.
I think the egg is over by the left side of the nest about 9 o’clock position
Yes, that’s where it is now. I’m glad it’s not smack in the middle of the nest anymore.
The 4th egg was laid back in May, it has disappeared and never hatched, so I doubt it’s still in the nest.
It’s still there. It’s back in the middle of the nest.
Have you been able to spot the 4th egg? It’s easy to see right now back down in the nest bowl at 12:00 on a sundial.
they are getting so big and starting to mimic some things mom does. These video is so much fun and interesting
Vicious frontal attack to the throat of little one at 1:17
Has anyone seen Carson this morning.?
I saw him sitting on the tree outside the nest during my morning walk at the Reserve.
Small fish brought in at 9:59 AM. Went very fast. Little one got none.
Has anyone else noticed the large growth on one of the chicks chest? I think it
Still the one that gets pecked by the others
The only “large growth” I’ve noticed is the chicks’ HUGE crops that get stuffed so full of fish that they look like they’re about to split open. If you’re seeing something else that’s above or below the crop on one of the chicks, I’ll look a little closer to see if I can see anything unusual.
Thank you Claire. That may actually be what I noticed
Their crop gets so big it actually makes the chicks top heavy, and you’ll usually see them tip right over in a face plant and fall into a “food coma” while they sleep it off. 🙂
youngest chick getting a good meal at 5:26 pm
Thank You Kathy, Little one was snuffed of 3:15 feeding, had not eaten since 9 AM
another beat down for the little one
Little one was snuffed out of the 11:15 AM feeding. Now at !2:52 suffers a quick beat down.
The Perp should be thrown overboard.
and I know all about survival of the fittest. This is bullying of a smaller bird. That doesn’t make the Perp “Fit”. He is just larger.
Just the way as they call it “Osprey Biology” works. All these researchers who attribute siblicide to a lack of food should view this rearing observation. As I have said before, there is No lack of food.
I don’t see the third baby at all, has something happened to it?
Never mind mom has been sitting on him, being pretty protective I’d say☺️
But their perception of the availability/amount of food is different from what we know. We can’t know their hunger. I read it’s also about greed. They want more food.
The first to hatch in any raptor nest is always the fittest and is always the one most likely to survive to fledge. The parents know this instinctively and it’s why they don’t interfere. #1 is not a “bully”, nor is it “bad”, “mean” or “greedy”. Its behavior is exactly what it is genetically programmed to do. We shouldn’t apply our human ideas of how our children should behave to wild birds. It’s sometimes hard to watch, but survival of the fittest is and always will be the rule for raptor young and the young of almost every species of animal on earth except primates. I’m not trying to antagonize anybody in this group which I really enjoy interacting with, just trying to explain the science behind the behaviors we’ve been witnessing.
😊
they were fed twice before that this morning ang he ate both times