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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.
Partly on subjcet of weaker birds. Years ago, I watched a young osprey try to learn to fish; it was NOT at all good at it. One day, it flew to a tall pine to watch and got stuck, upside down when his talons bit into the branch. He could not free himself and couldn’t be helped so far up in a tree; so it died in short time. The bird hung there for a long time and eventually disappeared.Of course, I hussled over there and collected both talons, his skull and beak. They were incredibly sharp; a great find. Of course, I put them in a safe place in my home and for 10 years have not found them. If I ever do, I will certainly bring them over to Webner to put on display That would be like payback for these terrific months of watching three birds get their start on life. Thank you!!!!
Bill, a lot of people don’t know that it’s illegal, due to the provisions of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, to have any “parts” of one of our country’s birds of prey in their possession. There’s a substantial fine if someone is caught with something as innocuous as a feather you pick up from the ground. I’m sure MANY people have such items that they’ve “acquired” over the years, but it’s not a good idea to advertise it publicly.
I’m betting that 10 years ago you put all of the items back under the pine tree where they came from to make sure you were in compliance with the law. That completely explains why you haven’t been able to find any of them since. We’re all getting a little forgetful as we get older!
OK… thanks for the info; never knew about that. If I ever find them, I will surely get rid of them. Anyone who read and thought about my post.. they were surely a humming bird’s beak and little toes!!!!
🙂
Do you band any of these birds so they can be tracked? I’m concerned about Charlie not being strong enough for the upcoming migration.
are we assuming the rest of the group
other than charlie are independently hunting?
9:00 pm, sad to see Charlie alone . He does not seem to venture out !!
Looks like Charlie alone in the nest again this morning. I hope he will be ready for his trip south when the time comes!
Does anyone know why Charlie remains alone in the nest, only venturing out for a few seconds? Will Rachel continue to bring him fish and how will he ever learn to feed himself?
Save the date! For those in the local area, on Sunday, September 18th, we will join the Waquoit Bay Reserve in celebrating National Estuaries Day. Our “Ospreys and Estuaries” event will include fun activities for all ages, plus an opportunity to say goodbye in person to Rachel, Carson and their three offspring before they leave for their journey south. Some of the event details are sill being worked out, but check this link for more information: http://waquoitbayreserve.org/event-registration/?ee=1268
Charlie eating solo at 1015am, did not see delivery
Rachel brought a fish at 8:43am. Charlie has been working on it since.
Actually, Rachel stayed with Charlie for a while while s/he ate, but then another juvenile came and there was a tussle over the fish at 9:38. I can’t tell who wound up with the remains of the fish and continued to eat, but the other was forced off.
Thanks for the update Glenn. The osprey are busy living their lives now leaving their veiwers wondering what they are up to. Lately there is just one bird in the nest when I check in.
8/8 1:34 am
The nest is empty!
I think that’s Charlie perching alone. Sure hope he’s had some dinner.
as I watch Charlie alone in nest I wonder if Rachel is near by keeping a watchful eye on him
Did Charlie get anything to eat today? I watched frequently today but always see him just waiting.
Rachel brought a fish this afternoon and gave it to Charlie. She stood by while he ate. Not sure of the time
Yes! Rachel gave Charlie a fish around 3pm. He was able to have all to himself 🤗
Oh thank goodness! I didn’t see Charlie getting anything around 7 to 8 PM, but a whole fish sounds like a fairly satisfying meal.
19:23 Charlie did a flying hop from the platform to the nest– very cute. A lot of calling–presumably for dinner. Between 19:30 and 19:33, Charlie does a couple hops around the nest, then flies on and off the camera a couple times. Then, at about 19:34, Charlie takes off!!! Glided away for a minute before returning again.
Another take-off at 19:53
Charlie is eatting alot.
👍🏼
Wow, is that Charlie holding on? Rachel flew off letting these two fight it out. Looks like Alpha lost the fish. 👍🏼
Definitely Alpha eating , B gave it a good try but gave up.
Rachel brings in a good size fish…. Can’t tell whose eating… pretty sure it’s not Charlie :/
Looks like Charlie did not get the fish. He looks sad.
2:44pm. 2 birds just flew in. One gave Charlie a fish!
So, are Rachel & Carsen gone for good ? Charlie seems to be waiting for his meals all alone.
hope he figures out soon how to get the job done . 🤞🏼
It’s unlikely that they are gone for good this early in the season. Only one bird, probably Charlie, was in the nest last night. I would expect that the others are all finding their own places to perch in nearby trees. Has anyone noticed a food delivery today? Rachel and Carson should still be providing fish. Unfortunately, we have no way of telling what’s going on off-camera.
Another strange encounter at WBNR with one of the juveniles. Was walking the beach at the head of the bay, by the oyster farm and saw one standing in the shoreline! Wondering if they were trying to cool off or if at this point they are aware we are watching…
Great photo!
Great photo!! Looks like a “teenage” bird exploring their environment. Very cool. 👍
It might be Charlie just contemplating how to finally get in the water and catch a fish!
Looks like he’s assessing his restaurant.
At what point do the parents cease bringing fish to the nest?
i guess we’ll know soon enough, this guy (assume charlie) has been sitting on the perch for hours waiting for a fish delivery.
Huge Thank You! to Glenn for making it possible for us to watch these amazing birds!
it has been such an inspiring, enriching experience .
The soaring Ospreys overhead were something to see.
Hard to get a video.
Figured it out. I took a screenshot of the original and that worked.
Approach
Today
You are welcome. 😉
I took some others but having trouble getting them posted for some reason.
They are the exact same size as this one ..,,so Glenn, , any ideas?
Oh i saw some interesting Wild Turkeys walking in a busy area.
They were unphased by all the cars and people.
Visited the nest today. Charlie holding down the fort was joined by another.
Multiple Ospreys in the sky doing swoops. A sight.
looking at this picture, we can get a better sense of where the ospreys maybe perched when not in the nest. thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome, Joanne.
The nest looks like it’s in a wooded area in the pics, but an aerial view would show it actually looks out, and is very near the bay and not far from the ocean. Good fishing for them. 🙂
when do they start flying out to getsome shade and a drink of water🥵
Surprisingly, Osprey can’t drink water. They get necessary water from fish… often times you will see them pant to cool down!
Ospreys rarely do but they can drink water. They have been observed drinking on days like today.
8/3 7:42 pm
Which chick is all alone in the nest?
Can’t be sure but I would guess it is probably Charlie. Still there out of camera range at 9:15pm August 3, 2022.
Yes, at almost 11pm Wednesday only one chick in the nest. I wonder if Alpha and Bravo are roosting in the trees now.
2:25 Rachel just finished eating and gave the remainder to ( most likely) Charlie. 🙂
1:35 Rachel is eating first safely on the perch and Charlie is a anxiously awaiting his share 😀
1:30 2 are back in the nest. Looks like Charlie and Rachel who returned with a live good size fish !
1:25 pm. Two just flew in. One has a fish.
12:30 nest still empty
Does anyone know when they fly south?
I believe they fly south in September.
Ok, thank you!
If Osprey migration interests you, may I suggest reading “Soaring With Fidel: An Osprey Oddyssey From Cape Cod to Cuba and Beyond” by David Gessner. A great read.
Sounds interesting! Thank you.
Also empty nest at 11:30 AM.
Empty nest at 10:40 a.m.
First time I have seen the nest empty.
Hope the chicks are out fishing.
I can’t tell who’s who…. But one was enjoying its brkfst, the other 2 watching , ready to grab…
finally the take.. glad I tuned in when I did . Have a great day all .
Thank you Glen,
very much appreciate and enjoyed watching the Ospreys every day at least twice
Visiting juvie was not welcome this afternoon. Resident chicks are on the left, center-bottom, and center-top; visitor on the right. I also have a video clip but wasn’t sure best way to share as I’m new posting here, accustomed to YouTube nest chats 🙂
Glen Davis
Thank you for all the work you do keeping this live video up and running as well as answering our inquiries 👍
Thanks from me also, love this site 😍😎