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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.
Gosh, I was so happy when I tuned in to see Rachel and all three chicks. Something I haven’t seen in a while. Then I read all I had missed through out the day. Sounds awful, glad I missed it!
It wasn’t 😀 birds just being siblings. Still learning their new life, and where the next meal comes from 😆
Charlie just showed he has better restroom procedures…he directed his waste over the edge away from our window.
Yay!
So glad to hear (and see). Thanks for the pic. I am rooting for team Charlie!
I think we all have a soft spot in our hearts for little Charlie — and pride for him overcoming all odds to fledge! 🙂
Chick # 1 …..1 1/2 fish…..chick # 2 1/2 fish……Mom and chick # 3 0 fish……very eventful day on the nest but I’ve seen enough.
I think Rachel and #3 are eating now.
Mom lose a battle with # 1 over the remains of the fish # 2 gorged on.
Did you see mom and # 2 battle over that fish? Mom lost.
For many raptors, the parents are “fight” the offspring for food – it is part of teaching them to be a bit aggressive over food, as that is an important survival skill for the offspring. It encourages them to stick up for themselves later when every bite of food may be important to their survival. Chicks 2 and 3 will need to learn this, too. But it part of good parenting.
After they learn to fish on their own over the next 2 months who will they be fighting for food?
Other osprey.
Thank you for commenting on this aspect of raptor parenting. I am watching the ospreys’ interactions and wondering how each’s behavior serves him/her in the wild. Comments like yours and Clare’s [in Florida] help to frame my thoughts and spur me to do further research.
Sorry for the typo. Meant to type “Claire’s . . .” not “Clare’s . . . “
14:17 # 2 makes a bold a valiant effort to get the fish from # 1. Pays a heavy price……
Alpha? Just grabbed Dad? by the foot when dad landed and held on for a long time as dad tried to get away. finally got loose and flew off around 2:10
Grabbed the bounty of Dad’s fishing trip
but he also grabbed the dad’s foot
I did not see it. You should ask Glenn to post it.
How do you contact Glenn?
Just write right here as you would write anything. It helps him to have the time of the event so he can find it.
Just posted it.
You made the highlight reel. Good job Annie!!!
it was scary to watch. Thought for sure, his foot or leg would be broken.
That was hard to watch. That looked small for the dad. Are we sure it wasn’t a sibling? If it was Alpha I’m not loving her. She’s a survivor but would she even a good mom?
What amazes me is the Oxford nest fledged 3 chicks and I never saw any animosity between the three. Although, the Oxford nest had much bigger fish and far more frequency of feeds than here.
Alpha may have been sitting in a nearby tree and saw Charlie fly today.
Alpha has been attacking him since birth, …….holding back his development.
Alpha jumped on top of Charlie’s back biting him. I wonder if her talons were out and if Charlie was wounded…. Guess we will see.
unnecessary cruelty.
I missed the “attack” that broke out a few mintues ago, but it got me wondering. Will Alpha make a good mom (or dad) or will she/he be one of those that kills the babies as they hatch? Or is that something that we have to wait and see?
I think she will be a great mom. She exhibits all of the strong, tough attributes she’ll need to be successful.
I agree 100%
This is nature at its best! Watch and learn.
Well A2Z, I guess we got our answer on the health and well being of # 1. # 1 returns with a vengeance, asserts domination, and beats down # 1 for old times sake…….
beats down # 3
was the fight food related, or just a general I’m in charge here?
Dread to see what will happen when the next meal arrives with # 1 on the nest…..
I was hoping Alpha was gone forever.
Nasty moment.
# 2 so scared won’t even pick it’s head up
#2 and #3 both have known instinctively since hatching that playing dead or showing submission to #1 is their best “defense”. It usually works and the attack abates, until the next time. And they managed to survive all of the attacks to fledge themselves, so it wasn’t as bad as some people think.
12:05pm What’s going on in the nest with all 3 chicks and Rachel? Alpha’s bad temper is showing as she is flapping furiously at Charlie who began flapping and then Alpha pecking him. Rachel flew off. Alpha need’s a therapist! All seems to be ok now. What a family!!
Alpha is a horrible bird. I saw the whole display.
And dont try to tell me otherwise….. my opinion.
You may see Alpha as “horrible”, but in her realm she will be an extremely capable and sought after mate when the time comes for her to breed. All of her “horrible” attributes, plus her hefty size, will serve her, her mate, and their chicks well when she becomes empress of her own nest and is expected/required to be bossy, aggressive, and even vicious when needed to protect her own family.
Claire in Florida…. Too bad Alpha is not protecting her current family now.
Horrible is the proper word for her.
Only a weak bully needs to attack a much smaller defenseless sibling.
That is Alpha, not the strong bird you are describing.
As I keep saying, she’s not a bully. She’s doing exactly what every first-born raptor chick is genetically programmed to do — whether we humans approve or not. That’s why Rachel and Carson never step in to interfere. They instinctively know it’s the way survival of the fittest works in nature.
You do know that if food had been in short supply for any reason, #1 would have killed both younger siblings (also genetic programming) — and Rachel would not have interfered. The adults know it’s a necessary evil to try to assure that at least one chick will fledge. Nature can seem cruel to us humans, but we can’t anthropomorphize wild creatures.
Alpha is a horrible bully. Period.
“first-born raptor chick is genetically programmed” you have the science to back up this statement?????
How do you think any of these wild birds “know” what to do? They don’t get to read “How To” manuals like human parents. Nobody told Alpha how or how not to behave — it’s all instinctive.
Why is Alpha the target of blame? Why isn’t anybody blaming Rachel as a “horrible” mom for allowing #1’s “horrible” behavior? I have trouble understanding the logic behind this reasoning. Let’s just agree to disagree and go back to watching these remarkable birds!
Thank you for adding information about raptor behavior. I watch raptor nests to learn. Your comments are very interesting to me, if not to all others. I hope you will continue to share your experience and education about these extraordinary creatures, undeterred by “Sandy” and “surferboy” who seem to be ganging up on you. My reason for being here at the nest cam begins and ends with learning more about RAPTOR behavior in general, and OSPREY behavior in particular. I ignore human bickering at nest cams. Nothing of value to learn from it. Thanks again for adding information about raptors. I look forward to reading your future posts.
So the first born gets different genes from any born thereafter from the same parents.
Bravo, Surferboy.
7/25; 12;07PM, Alpha just showed and a fight broke out; everybody has assumed a protective position. Rachel left leaving the 3 chicks to fend for themselves.
12:05 All 3 chicks on the nest!!!!!
11:08 Finally got to witness # 3 do a 29 second flight!!
7/25; 11:03am – Charlie just jumped off the nest and took a quick journey round the neighborhood. Bravo seemed surprised. Nobody else in the nest.
Glenn, Curious….do you have any “boots on the ground” over there that might be able to see where the male hangs out and if # 1 is adjacent to the male and eating?
I’ve asked someone to take a look with a spotting scope.
Glenn, Kaycee lives nearby and posted this yesterday. She’s a good source of “boots on the ground” and there must be others who live in the area who are observing where the ospreys not in the nest are perching.
“I live right down the street from where this nest is. I drove through on Friday morning and saw two osprey in the trees just outside the nest. So the mom/dad/ fledgling (couldn’t tell who was who) are near the nest just out of the camera view.”
Bravo is hogging the fish, Charlie is waiting and watching and grabbing a bite when he can.
looks like charlie has his own piece of fish at 8:30am and rachel has commandeered the fish from bravo
Why is Charlie trying to sleep with his wings not tucked in? Looks awkward and something I’ve not seen before.
My guess is that he’s hot. It’s been so roasty, I’ve seen ospreys sitting out during the day with their wings open. Maybe that provides better air flow.
Charlie has the center of the nest all to himself these days.
has charlie taken flight yet? right now, at 1pm it’s rachel, charlie and bravo(?) hanging out at the edges of the nest. at least there is a breeze.
Glen confirmed late yesterday that all 3 chicks had fledged. Alpha prefers to hang out in a shady nearby tree, while Bravo and Charlie have been spending their time in the nest, flying off occasionally for short circle trips out and back again to wait for the next food delivery. They’re both in the nest right now with Rachel.
thanx
They say # 3 fledged two days ago but I have serious doubts about that. In the last 15 minutes or so # 3 has been wing flapping and hoping around the nest. At one point rising above camera view but dropping right back down. This Not typical behavior of a fledged bird. I have never seen # 3 missing from the nest. 7/24 14:11
thanx
Surferboy, I went back and checked that sequence again to confirm. It was about a 45-minute period on 7/23, from 7:09 – 7:55. Chick #3 left the nest, then returned about 2 minutes later. So it wasn’t a long flight, but definitely more than just hovering. I was able to confirm because of the positions of the 2 chicks on the nest that that they didn’t swap places. Both chicks took flight separately during that period.
Thanx Glenn, you should post it in highlights.
I’m only seeing two in the nest?
10:08 am 7/24 – Oxford chick wrestled fish away from mom and then flew off with it. Not nice to treat mom like that. How soon kids forget.
Yes think so
8:30 am. Carson in nest generously feeding Charlie and Bravo. Rachel and Alpha not present.
The female was feeding the chicks.
how can you tell them apart?
Mother is a little bigger but the most obvious way is her “necklace” or “bib” plumage.
Another fish at 8:30!! That’s 3 that we have seen since 6am!
Fish # 2 showed up just before 8am
7:57 Dad (yes Dad) is on the nest feeding and not sharing with 2 and 3. Have not seen Dad on the nest in forever. 7:59 Mom arrives. 8:06 Dad flies off with fish.
Another fish just arrived, Rachel and Carson both on the nest.
I know, hope she is ok!
there’s a fish here but is that Mom eating and not sharing?
I saw one of the chicks eating with Rachel earlier. The other one was sitting out on Rachel’s perch.
Looked like the one sitting out on the perch ( Chick B?) was eating when the fish first arrived, that was around 6am. After Rachel left it took a quick flight.
Seems early for Osprey fledgling. CCMNH ospreys were later although I think they may be flying. Haven’t caught on video yet
Brewster chicks fledged on the same days as 1 and 2 here.
Oxford were a few days earlier than the ones here
Oxford chicks started fledging one by one a week ago. One thing I noticed was both the Oxford and Brewster chicks were/are much better fed than the chicks here. Bigger fish and more frequency. Not uncommon to see each chick with it’s own fish on those nests.
7/23 5:35 pm I think 2 and 3 are waiting for dinner. 2 has a gold patch of the back of its neck. That’s how I recognize it.
where’s the third baby and Momma? pains me to see them in the heat
Rachel is on the left shading #3 (Charlie). The big chick in the foreground is, I think, #2 Bravo.
Once they fledge, they have no reason to spend all day in the hot nest. I don’t know why #2 doesn’t find a cooler, shady spot in the adjacent trees.
I live right down the street from where this nest is. I drove through on Friday morning and saw two osprey in the trees just outside the nest. So the mom/dad/ fledgling (couldn’t tell who was who) are near the nest just out of the camera view. 😊
Thanks, Kaycee. I was hoping someone in the area would be able to spot and report the fledglings in the nearby trees.
7/23/2022 To see the difference between Parent Osprey and chicks see their body feathers.
Chicks are edged in white.
For now, anyways…,:)
And of course size and height , though they are growing fast.
11:11 AM Bravo (I think) just wrestled a fresh fish away from Rachel.
Yes and # 2 ate their fill and stood on it for 20 minutes. Mom just took it back and moved to # 3 to feed. What a Great Mom!!!!
Rachel is trying to sheild the chicks from the sun. Can’t imagine it does much on a day like today. Has anyone seen Alpha lately? I don’t think I have unless I am getting her and Rachel mixed up.
I have not seen Alpha lately at all although Ellen reported around 6 PM yesterday that all 3 chicks were in the nest. I think Alpha is much happier perching on shady tree branches nearby and having her food delivered to her instead of being out in the baking hot sun! I hope Bravo soon, and eventually Charlie, will do the same to get some much needed relief from the heat.