Osprey Nest at Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Falmouth Weather

If video is not appearing above, click here to refresh this page. Also try clearing your browser cache, closing and restarting your browser or restarting your device.
 

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.

Subscribe
Notify of

5.3K Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Donna Antonelli
4 months ago

All is restored and beautiful. First hatch is five weeks now! How soon to fledge?

Karen E
4 months ago

Yes

Rae
4 months ago

yes

Merc
4 months ago

Does anyone else have this image and unable to see osprey nest?

IMG_0914-Large
Beth
4 months ago
Reply to  Merc

Yes I’m seeing it as well

Stephanie Swan
4 months ago

Only one chick at CCMNH nest. Parents arrived later than Waquoit ospreys.

Stephanie Swan
4 months ago

——–chicks are getting so big!!!

Kaycee
4 months ago

Haven’t read the link yet, but there is a nest at the Falmouth Walmart parking lot. When I was there yesterday didn’t see any activity at the nest at all. Noticed the same a few weeks ago as well. Has anyone that knows of the nest seen anything? It was active last year.

Annie
4 months ago
Reply to  Kaycee

I am pretty sure they were there the beginning of the nesting season, but I haven’t noticed them recently.

Beth
4 months ago
Reply to  Kaycee

I have noticed that it has been quiet this year but I can’t figure it out. I was there earlier today and one osprey was in the nest and another flying over the parking lot.

Joselyn
4 months ago

Looks like the kids are learning to groom themselves

Merc
4 months ago

It always amazes me how their innate navigation system works! I’m looking at a dense fog and Rachel is off taking a break somewhere yet some how always comes back to the nest – let alone come back to the same nest from some 2000 miles away after their South American migration.

James Govoni
4 months ago

I was watching Rachel feeding today teaching the chicks how to feed. She would offer them a piece of fish but then hold it and let them tear it out of her mouth. Then she drop a couple pieces and encourage them to eat it out of the nest.
Just amazing !

Lorene
5 months ago

Ooops!! 😂🥴

Dena
5 months ago

Incoming! Carson brings breakfish 🐟

IMG_0541
Dena
5 months ago
Reply to  Dena

Me too! Who’s who??? Nice to see chicks being so well fed they leave each other alone…😉

Laura
5 months ago

The chicks are getting so big it’s getting harder for Mom to shade them all. Thankfully, Rachel manages to do her job no matter what.

Bob G
5 months ago

Another pogie at 6:12 All you can eat breakfast buffet this am!

Bob G
5 months ago

All 3 with a great breakfast this am starting around 5:21. No bonking and all ate!

Dena
5 months ago

Now the kids are interested

IMG_0538
Dena
5 months ago

Rachel having a snack, looks to be a good size fish, can see fish’s tail to the left of her…

IMG_0537
Merc
5 months ago

😂

Karen g
5 months ago

😆

Dena
5 months ago

Cheers to Carson! Such a good Osprey Dad, Enjoying watching him this season, keep the fish coming 🥰

IMG_0462
Karen g
5 months ago
Reply to  Dena

Dena, nice picture of Rachel and Carson❣️

Karen g
5 months ago

Same here, to Carson!

😄 If he only knew, probably catch a real big fish, and fly to his “fish cave” to eat all by himself in peace.

Karen g
5 months ago

Thank you Glenn !! The rewind feature is great.

Kaycee
5 months ago
Reply to  Karen g

👍

Kathy
5 months ago

Thank you so much! I was feeling pretty dumb when I couldn’t figure it out.

John
5 months ago

Rachel showing the chicks how to use their wings.

dianne
5 months ago

Boy the kids are getting big and closer to the edge😱🙅‍♀️

Joselyn
5 months ago

How do you rewind ?

Merc
5 months ago

Excellent! Before you know it, camera will be panning and zooming 🤞

Merc
5 months ago

Thank you for sharing. Love the pics!

Bob G
5 months ago
Reply to  Glenn Davis

Awesome! Thank You!

COLLEEN
5 months ago

oh that little one is so close to the edge. Even Rachel seems concerned given she is sitting atop him.

Karen g
5 months ago
Reply to  COLLEEN

The other day, the chick was very close to the edge, stopped just in time. I hope this side of the nest is deeper than it appears to be.

Mary B
5 months ago

So amazing to watch!

Karen g
5 months ago

Wow, both Rachel and Carson are doing serious nest building with more sticks and moss. Looks like a Clamshell was placed on top, hmmm maybe the chicks need water 😀

Merc
5 months ago
Reply to  Glenn Davis

Hi Glenn, thank you for reminder. Would we have any insight into how the money/donations would be allocated? The Poole Harbor cameras have superior resolution and the Lolo Montana osprey nest has a camera capable of zooming and panning. I believe this would be a one time upfront fee to have upgrades but I have no idea what we are looking at in terms of cost.

Merc
5 months ago

Just thought I would share a pic of an osprey nest I’m following in Poole Harbour England. There are 4 chicks and I have not noticed any sibling rivalry and all look very healthy.

IMG_0901-Large
dianne
5 months ago
Reply to  Merc

they must be well fed-with one of them sitting on a fish 🫄🏼

Carol Craig
5 months ago
Reply to  dianne

Good point! Lol!

Karen g
5 months ago

Hey Glenn .. 06/10/2024 21:03 .. Mon 9:03pm

FYI: The “night light” is not on. I will update if it comes on before 12 midnight.

Thank you.

Karen g
5 months ago
Reply to  Karen g

The light just came on, 9:09pm. For some reason, I thought it came on closer to 8:30pm. 😄 never mind. All is well.

Merc
5 months ago

Rachel is “rearranging the furniture” yet again. She “twinkle toes” around the nest and the chicks. Here are a couple pics trying to capture this!

IMG_0896-Large
Merc
5 months ago
Reply to  Merc

Here is another one of Rachel “Twinkle Toeing” around the chicks with a twig!

IMG_0898-Large
Merc
5 months ago
Reply to  Merc

And one more!

IMG_0899-Large
Joe R.
5 months ago

9:30am. Just checked in – noticed both parents gone from the nest. A few minutes later Carson returned with no food, Rachel still away.

Merc
5 months ago

OMG! Did anyone just catch the 3 adult osprey on the nest – at some point being very calm and welcoming as though it is one of the children from 2022 season. The adult osprey looked female. I’ll post some pics.

Merc
5 months ago
Reply to  Merc

The osprey with the back to us is the “other female”

IMG_0884-Large
Merc
5 months ago
Reply to  Merc

And one more with some action when the female left with a 1/2 eaten fish.

IMG_0890-Large
Dena
5 months ago
Reply to  Merc

Nice action shot! Glad you caught the visitor with date/time so Glenn was able to post

dianne
5 months ago
Reply to  Merc

missed it. there is a pic of this also happening in the 2022 highlights-speculating as you, that perhaps it was a child from an earlier clutch. one thing I’ve noticed this season is that the chicks seem to be alone more than in previous seasons 🤷‍♀️. reminds me of humans who are overprotective with their first child but with each subsequent kid …..

Merc
5 months ago
Reply to  dianne

Maybe we can get Glenn to post a video clip. I think it started shortly before 5:57am cause when I went to website at 5:58 the 3 were already “meeting”. I swear there was some “good dialogue” between them 😉
Too cute what you say about leaving the chicks but you make a good point!

Last edited 5 months ago by Merc
dianne
5 months ago
Reply to  Glenn Davis

rachel to intruder “i let you stay for breakfast and you run off with the food? how dare you!”- (putting human emotions on it🤪)

1 71 72 73 74 75 78
5.3K
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x