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Welcome to “Season Five” 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 2026 (“Season Five”)
View highlights from 2025 (“Season Four”)
View highlights from 2024 (“Season Three”)
View highlights from 2023 (“Season Two”)
View highlights from 2022 (“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.
Fish was dropped off this morning by parent at approximately 6:40 am . Larger osprey would not share with its smaller sibling.
6:39 a fish was brought to the nest!
I went back in time and at 6:36 momma brought a small piece of fish. But still no sharing
I see one of them eating a fish this morning. Did anyone see if Momma brought it or did he get it himself?
Carsen dropped half a fish off at 6:39. So far just Oscar is eating it, but hopefully he’ll share some when he’s finished.
I noticed two osprey chicks in a nest atop a parking lot light at Walmart today in Falmouth. They were squealing and squawking just as loudly as these two, and they appeared to be alone as well.
Thank you Glenn for your insight in what we are viewing. We truly have to consider what we are privileged to witness and take into account this is a gift.
I am new here this year, but I enjoy watching nature cams of all sorts in all parts of the world. It’s a privilege to be allowed such intimate insight into the natural processes and behaviors of animals. Without exception, the areas where these particular cameras are located do not allow human intervention except in instances where injury or illness is directly caused by human activity such a poaching snares, plastic products, etc. I suppose we could say that, since humans even exist, everything is a result of human activity, but that’s a whole other conversation about coexisting, etc. While it’s easy to fall in love with the animals, we have to refrain from attaching our human emotions and expectations onto them. We have to remember that mother nature is MUCH better at raising these creatures and managing their populations than we are. While her methods can often seem harsh and cruel to us from our human perspective, and can be difficult to watch at times, it’s always fascinating and much can be learned. I am grateful to those who allow us these opportunities. Thanks Glenn!
Well said Kristen!
Thank you, Kristin, for sharing this perspective!
I agree that life should take its natural course. With that said I don’t think they should have been disrupted and banded.
Thank You Glenn
Thank you for your comment Glenn .
Perhaps parents won’t bring food because of deceased osprey. Too bad it can’t be removed.
I watch a NC pair, last year they had 3 chicks with very little food. Sadly 2 passed on the nest due to obvious starvation. Both were never removed from nest. Remaining chick did not resort to cannibalism…Both deceased chicks just decayed on nest. Good news is the remaining chick survived & took flight
Maybe Someone with a Drone Can drop a fish in the Nest?
Parachute?
Leave a bucket of fish under the nest?
Any idea what has happened to Rachel and Carson?
Please do some research and refrain from posting uninformed, accusatory or inflammatory comments. I manage the camera and the website, not the nest or the birds. The camera simply gives us a window into their lives and I allow nearly all comments without censorship, even though some are not appreciated. As I have stated before, these are wild animals in nature, not our pets to care for. I have been in touch with two world renowned ornithologists and a third wildlife biologist, all of whom are osprey experts. What we are observing seems to be common across Cape Cod and New England’s South Coast region and beyond. Additionally, it is against Federal and State law to artificially feed ospreys, which may compromise their natural hunting instincts. Banding of birds is a very common procedure and does not result in parents abandoning chicks; any suggestion otherwise is simply false and based on old myths. I’ve also been told that ospreys do not rehab well. One expert told me, “what you need to accept is that birds fail despite everyone wanting success all of the time… if every pair of ospreys reared three young every year we would be knee deep in them and at some stage there would be a dramatic crash.” This nest does not enjoy a special status simply because of the camera. Please continue to share your observations, questions, knowledge and emotions as we jointly navigate and try to understand what we are seeing. We all certainly hope for the best outcome possible and let’s support one another in this journey.
Glenn. Emotions were high this morning. Watching the dive bombing and the suffering that the chicks had to endure was sad. But you are right if you don’t know for sure your information is correct, please don’t spread it around
Thank you Glen🌱
Thanks Glenn
Totally agree with you, thanks Glenn. If it weren’t for your management of camera here none of us would be the ‘experts we think we are’ …. 😉. Hoping for the best possible outcome here..
Well said Glenn! Thanks
Just called the Osprey Project to inform them of situation & that Rachel nor Carson are feeding chicks…it sparked an interest
Great idea Dena. I had researched the situation myself and apparently you can reach out to Cape Cod Wildlife office in Barnstable to report concerns. Since the osprey are federally protected species a licensed wildlife rehabilitator can be contacted for an opinion to assess the situation and intervene if necessary.
Carson returned 11:46 with no fish
I read on another site that that’s a way for the parents to get the chicks to fledge, they reduce food in the hopes that hunger will drive the chicks to search for their own food.
that makes sense I was thinking the same
I don’t do Facebook but maybe one of you do and can see if Osprey Project has posted on what is happening or the lack there of.
If one of the chicks was lying on the ground instead of in nest I would think it would be rescued. Also I have read chicks that are neglected or parent Ospeys do not return the chicks are moved to a thriving nest. I do realize these chicks are forced flying, too young to be fishing…
And as far as when to intervene or not is overridden by the situation & this is a dyer one.
Since the three chicks were banded things started falling apart .
Agreed! Humans intervened when human needed to satisfy their own research.
I agree.
After a very hectic morning – things have calmed down. Also seems like the two chicks left are finally getting along. They must have realized they need to stick together and be friends
I’m wondering if the one that left the nest, is being tracked? And when I saw earlier the ‘attacking osprey’ it looked to me as if it was trying to mate’. I did see other pics and posts that also did clearly look like they were attacking ….
Where is the 3rd baby
It died several days ago and the remains are in the middle of the nest
This might explain the lack of feeding: “As the chicks approach fledging, their parents gradually reduce how often they feed them. The growing hunger encourages the young birds to begin seeking food on their own.”
That’s what I read too, plus they don’t need to be taught to fish it is instinctual, but guidance from the adults helps.
Debbie I agree with your remarks. There are certainly wildlife sanctuaries in which the creatures can be rehabilitated, possibly returned to the wild, or if not…certainly these surviving osprey could be used for educational purposes with trained wildlife officers. These fledglings are so close to surviving on their own and being independent, this seems cruel to do nothing when the rule of “no intervention” was already violated with the banding process.
For those who say we should help, this is what Glenn said a few days ago: “ To those who insist we should have done something, it’s important to remember that this is a wild animal living in a wild environment. No person caused this, and the folks who maintain the camera and the nest platform are not responsible for the birds’ conditions or their fate. The ospreys are not our pets and they aren’t cared for by people. Intervention only happens when something human-caused threatens the nest, like removing a plastic bag or other debris that doesn’t belong there. The chicks were banded this year for research purposes. Beyond that, the birds are left to live as wild animals, without human management or feeding. The camera was placed simply to provide a window into nature – and sometimes nature is difficult to watch. Thank you to everyone who cared so deeply. Moments like this remind us that the natural world is beautiful, unpredictable, and often beyond our control.”
Thanks for reposting this Annie.
Glenn also thought the chicks were all thriving!
I believe that was/is Rachel seems she wants them fledged and out of the nest for their own good. I had read online that adults may stop feeding to encourage that. Between 17: 24 and 17:44 yesterday a bird that looked like her did a quick touch and go and then a flyby with a definite come with me vibe. In the beginning of the second and third seasons (as I recall) I posted identifying photos of Carson and Rachel. I don’t have those photos anymore but sure they are on the feed. Rachel has a very distinct marking on the back of her head that looks like a bird flying. This appears to be her.
I think Carson has befallen an unfortunate event of some kind a while ago. I read online they will mourn their mate by coming back to the nest and just waiting and watching for them. That’s kind of what she has been doing. But regardless of the many possibilities suggested that might explain what is occurring here and as hard as it is to watch, I stay hopeful that all is not lost and these two will make it through this. We are privileged to have this window into their world even if it is tough to see.
Thank you for this. We’ve seen the oldest one fly out and then come back, I wonder if its coming back because the little one is still there and hasn’t fledged yet?
I haven’t seen the parents in a couple of days
Why is no one helping. If you found an osprey with a broken wing, would you get help for it.Or would you say that’s nature and walk away. How about putting the babies to a bird sanctuary and get them strong
At 9:58 am it looks like one of the parents came back and was trying to push the birds out of the nest. It’s becoming a very interesting day with a lot of activity.
Oh no. Is she the attacker ???
Now what. Is momma back ???
Now it looks like both are ok. Maybe the first one was just playing dead.
9:33, the oldest one just came back
Maybe contemplate “no banding” next year. That was human intervention and handling. Interesting to view research if parents start pulling away too early once human smell is on the chicks.
If you are just turning in, the missing chick wasn’t knocked from the nest. He flew off at 9:27, leaving the hunched down chick alone on the nest, but the attacks continue
Getting attacked again so oldest flies out. I think chick 2 may be dying
At 9:27:22, the oldest one, after repeatedly being attacked, flew off, came back, then flew off again.
Looks like they need to be rescued! I can’t watch anymore
This is just brutal to watch 🙁 It’s not looking good for the one that was attacked, it’s been lying like that since 9:09 and it’s now 9:22
Was that Carson that just defended the nest at 9:14?
Can they be removed from the nest and cared for if the parents are not around to feed them? So sad to watch 🙁