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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.
with camera adjustment & sound added should be an exciting Osprey return. Can’t wait!
Watching the camera adjustment……..they should adjust it up a little so we can see the osprey fly in and out……right now 1/3 of the view is the wood structure…….
new view of the nest on Monday morning is definitely further away
new view of the nest
I look forward to enjoying the upgrades on the cam.
I might note I was just checking in on the nest and there was a healthy gray squirrel foraging!
Due to heavy rain, the planned maintenance work was postponed and will be rescheduled sometime in the next few weeks. I’ll post when completed so we can hear the wind!
Can’t wait to be able to hear what is going on! I check in once in a while to see the changes in the nest and what other critters and birds visit.
This week, on October 13-14, we will be performing some maintenance on the webcam. The live view will be offline during this period. We will be adding audio to the site (!!) and also moving the camera position to be out of range of future “poop shots.” Thanks for your patience with us during some “Season One” mishaps, as we strive to make these improvements!
Thanks for the update Glenn. These improvements will make for a fantastic second season of viewing !
Audio AND out of pot shot range?! Oh, so perfect! I’m very excited to see the return of Rachel and Carson, as well as their kids! Especially Charlie… 🥰
At last! The impaired view from the camera brought on by the good aim of the ospreys is gone because of the rain. Can’t say that I miss it. Will have to wait ’til next year! I hope that you guys received my donation. You do a terrific job, Glenn.
It has been an exciting summer being able to view the Osprey season of reproduction.I have leaned a lot from viewing and everyone’s comments.
I was curious why they always tended their nest but know I understand why. It does not take long for the elements to break apart the nest.
Hopefully the camera will be repositioned prior to nexts Springs return of the Osprey!
Big thanks to those at the Waquit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Comcast for providing the Nest Cam which was educational and entertaining for the viewers 👍
I had the same thought why are they always working on the nest!
Now we see why . It deteriorates when not attended.
That has led me to another conclusion.
During there nesting season there are a lot of organics build up in the nest from eating and popping that could bring disease and insects if built up over years.
I am thinking it is mother natures way of house cleaning!
A pretty good Osprey fix in the off season.
Season of the Osprey.
https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.bb452a4a-d793-4b55-83ff-ba68607d4d95&territory=US&ref_=share_ios_movie&r=web
You can also probably watch it on PBS for free if you do not have Prime.
Not free on PBS. You need a paid membership.
I think the osprey have used VRBO [vacation rental by osprey] and have sublet to the crows!
LOL
crow (?) on nest 9/15 at 8:17 am checking for food. gone by 8:20 no sign of charlie.
Sept 15, 6:15 am. It has been days since I saw Charlie. No one has commented on seeing him. I’m guessing us finally flown to his winter home.❤️
I check in a couple of times a day. I wonder if they will shut the cam down for the winter?
i was thinking the same thing, i don’t think charlie has been around for 3/4 days now.
sad not to see him, but its time to go.
he’s !
Went down to Barnstable to hit the beach yesterday. Watched an osprey dive for fish- but got surprised by how loud it was! More like a cannonball than a dive. Made me think they must’ve been still learning to fish. They DID catch the fish! Just…not as elegantly as mom and dad, maybe. (I got some pictures, but I’ll have to sort through them on my camera before I share with you guys)
Seeing (and hearing!) it made me think of Charlie. I’m glad to hear he’s doing well.
10:00 Charlie ate the whole fish. Looking good Charlie !!💕
Oh, that’s wonderful! I often only have time to peek at the nest at night, and more often than not I don’t see anybody…sounds like he’s doing great!
Morning Charlie! Great selfie at 9:27 am on 9/11 with your breakfast. Would be great if it could be posted as he is right in front of the camera
Hopefully not our last glimpse of Charlie, but I posted a portion of the clip to the highlights. Perfect landing, Charlie!
Thanks Glenn, great clip!
thanx glenn. we are all so proud of how he’s grown and developed.
9/11/22, 9:26 am. Charlie standing in the nest guarding his piece of fish. Not eating, seems tired, occasionally dozing off.
9/11/22, 9:14 am. Charlie in nest with fish.
Breakfast
Thanx for posting
Charlie is back 8:06AM. No fish. Just doing a lot of squawking.
I find it interesting how fast the nest loses its form when not
maintained. This cam enables us to see why they constantly maintain the nest when occupied!
I agree, James.
Some of the other nests in my area look like they are starting to hang off to the side and fall.
We haven’t heard from Claire in FL lately??? Hope all is well
i thought for sure this guy had left, but this morning i tuned in and there he is sitting with the catch of the day.
A crow on the perch, watching Charlie eat…
So happy I am finally up early enough to see Charlie 😂 been missing him. Love knowing he’s been catching his own fish.
9/9/2022, 7:50 am. Charlie in the nest with his fish, chattering at another osprey in the area that may be looking to steal his fish.
Looks like Charlie has turned into a pretty good fisherman.
Wow has he gotten big…so fast!
Morning breakfast 🐟
Thanks for the picture! Charlie is looking good 👌🏼
puts a smile on my face every time 😊 lucky to catch this moment & love sharing
Sure thing! So do you think this is Charlie?
I agree,! So cool that he returns again & again…
Mother Nature has her ways many do not understand.
When planting seeds you never pick out the biggest seed because bigger is not always better. Charlie was the last born, small ,fought to eat,was ,pecked on often but did you ever think about the resilience that has developed in becoming a healthy newborn Ave?
Very well said James! A very happy ending and great start to his adult life.
Charlie definitely has the advantage now, confident & ready for what ever life may throw at him…tough guy!
Charlie wants to show us that he is doing well as many of us were initially concerned about him. GOOD FOR YOU CHARLIE 💕
I don’t think it’s unusual for one or more ospreys to keep returning and spending time in the nest after fledging. I observe several other nests from the ground (or water), and most seem to be often occupied by at least one bird. Charlie seems to be the lucky caretaker of this nest! This behavior is a good question to ask Alan Poole, author of 2 books about ospreys. Dr. Poole will be speaking at an event at the Waquoit Bay Reserve on September 18th at 1:00pm.
Agreed One of three juveniles from the Oxford nest spends more time on that nest than the juvenile here. Also, because you can observe the previous 24 hours there, you can see that juvenile is not fishing and is being supplied by an adult.
Charlie (?) Having a leisurely breakfast.
Holy crow, he’s here again!!!
mornin’ charlie, that’s a mighty fine fish you brought to the nest on 9/6 at 6:34 am.
welcome charlie-good to see you again(9/5 @3:50pm). you’ve grown into a handsome osprey and we will all miss seeing you.
Such a void, always tuning in to an empty nest. Looking forward to an active nest next spring!
Check the Oxford nest….still very active
https://www.earthcam.com/usa/massachusetts/oxford/?cam=oxford_osprey
Will do! One of ours came for a visit.
Blue Jays scavenging the nest today
Does this mean the ospreys have abandoned the nest?
Three now scavanging