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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.
After watching her for little while, the osprey currently in the nest (3/31, 3:35pm) looks like Rachel. Same markings; same mannerisms, habits, etc. and after I made a comparison to last years’ photos. She looks a bit bewildered, looking around and upwardly a lot and seems especially interested in the new camera or maybe I’m just imagining it all. It’s good to see her again. The male who drops by now and then, though, isn’t Carson and she lets him know it.
Sorry…I just do not remember last years female having a “heavy necklace” like the female here now. Please reply with your thoughts, pics from last year etc. T Y!!!!!
Photo of Rachel last June with chicks. Necklace looks pretty heavy?… Harder to tell this year with camera further away from the nest but at least hopefully out of range of the pooping squad!
I watch another camera that is set up in Providence RI of peregrine falcons…in the last 3 days, 2 eggs have been laid with 1 or 2 more to come. Do we have any tentative time schedule when Rachel will lay her eggs? (https://player.streamguys.com/asori/sgplayer/player.php)
Last year, the first egg was laid on April 15th.
Thanks Glen…obviously the two species are on a different schedule
Glenn, the board that sits left to right is loose. I saw it move the other night. Rachel was just on it and it actually shifted when she flew off of it. Nothing can be done?
We are keeping an eye on it while we look into options. Thanks, Karen, for your attentiveness. Do you happen to remember what time you saw it move?
If you can see my msg time, it was just before that, maybe 3:30p ?? I was checking in frequently from 1p to 4p today.
8:48pm Fri 3/31/23
Glenn, the right side appeared to shift when Rachel flew off from it.
If you will be checking the feed, the left edge popped up prior to 6:20pm Mon 3/27/23, my msg to you the other day.
Maybe related to the nest bottom opening up?
Will R n C do whatever they need to build a secure nest? or go elsewhere to start over? I think she knows it is lose 😄 if this is my eyes, please let me know 😁 thank you and you are welcome
has anyone seen Carson in the past say day and a half3/31?
I think he was on the next late last night.
How do we know it is Rachel and Carson vs one of the babies? Anyway to know?
It would not be any of last year’s offspring since juveniles typically spend their first full year down south and they would not be expected back in the area until 2024. Based on some views I’ve seen, I think the markings on the female appear to be Rachel, but it’s really hard to tell for certain. I haven’t gotten a good look at the male, but assuming that Rachel is the female, then the male would most likely be Carson since ospreys typically mate for life. A couple of viewers have noted that the birds appear smaller, but that is likely because the camera was moved further away. Also, if Rachel & Carson did not return, we probably would have seen a greater degree of territorial disputes over the nest.
Glenn thank you so much for explaining that. I have some students that watch the nest with me and they often have questions. Greatly appreciate the insight!
The heavy necklace and small size of this female indicates a different bird.
Rachel was a mature female who knew how to make the nest.
This bird left the center indentation unpadded. And had done very little stick rearranging.
She looks to be quite young.
Saw Rachel by herself 3/31 between 745ish to 8ish Whoopeee! Just sat on the nest chirping
It appears a hole has opened up in the bottom of the nest, and the birds don’t seem to be in a hurry to rebuild it before egg-laying time. Hope they do rebuild the floor.
Another osprey came. There seemed to be a fight as it appeared Rachel and Carson went after it. Then there seemed to be nothing much and the nest seemed to be a mess. Heard what appeared to be short sad chirps (I’m not an osprey lol) I watched for about an hour + this after noon (03/29) nothing but Rachel appeared but immediately left. I’m hoping I’m so wrong about all of this🥌🫠
Rachel on nest waiting for Carson to show up.
First time seeing this osprey cam. I will continue to follow. Thank you.
3/29/23 @ 18:31
Mating activity?
So exciting to see them back. And having the sound is fantastic.
Is that a big hole in the middle of the nest or just a shadow?
It’s the top of the pole that the platform is set on.
thanks.
Thank you. I was concerned that it opened up to the ground.
Male brought her a fish.
then flew off with it…..
The Bay is just beyond the trees….dinner! 🙂
Thank you, Glenn, for expanding allowed photo size!
Been looking forward to this since last fall!!!
Commotion on the nest at around 10:09 this morning. I just caught the tail end of it Rachel came back to the nest an osprey flew in with a fish and then was driven off by another Osprey probably Carson?
So happy for season two…and even better with sound! What a great thing this is.
They’ve been in and out this afternoon. Mating and just hanging out.
Photo bay
This is very close to the nest….how convenient!
Road to Bay
Thank you. Been trying to figure that out. 😆
Photo. (Sorry…unable to upload the too large photo of the street leading to the bay view)
Bayview.
These were taken on this rainy day 3/28.
The nest is a stones throw to the bay, which is visible to it.
See the black SUV.
The bay is right beyond it (last photo).
6:20pm Mon 3/27/23 .. so great to see the two of them at the nest !!
Hey Glenn, are the nest boards inspected yearly to make sure they are tightly secured?
Good question – I’m not aware of a regular inspection process, but I’ll ask about it for next year.
👍🙂
So happy to see them return.I have been checking on the nest since March 1st from Fla. Welcome back !
I live in Teaticket. There are several nests in the area but I have not seen osprey yet. Just know I realized I was hearing one. I quickly logged on to this website. Wow, I have been missing all the action!
So much fun to see them back again! Both were there 03/27/2023 at 8:15-8:45 flying in an out, talking up a storm and cleaning up the nest.
So excited they are back!!
Omg they are back!,, ❤️❤️❤️
How long has this platform nest been at Waquoit? Could previous juveniles now adults be coming back to this nest? Do mating pairs over winter together down South and fly North together, even though they head South at different times in the Fall?
Ospreys fly solo in both directions, and are not known to spend the winter together with their mates. Instead, they are reunited when they return North to breed. Previous juveniles come back to the general area, but not until they spend two full winters South, so we would not see last year’s offspring this season. I’ll find out when the nest platform was built. It’s been there since at least 2013, but may have been built earlier than that.
I was told that the nest pole has been there since the late 1980s. It’s possible it’s not the original platform, though.
Thanks Glenn, I was curious about how many generations of Ospreys might be returning to their nesting area. It’s amazing how mating pairs live such separate lives until time for nesting and raising of chicks, then the go their separate ways until next breeding season.
It is wonderful to hear their calls… great sound adds so much. Yay!!! Beautiful to have osprey back on the nest.
They are back!
7:57 a.m. Monday, March 27, 2023. Pair of ospreys working together on housekeeping duties.
Oh so exciting to see and hear them!!!
…two’s company, three is a crowd!
They’re back…look very healthy!
Male is Very busy rearranging sticks, making nest.
Here they are
Lots of vocalization.
2 Ospreys 6:42 am 3/27
😆 until I read Glenn’s post, I thought these might be the kids. Looked smaller to me than mom and dad last year. Oh this is great!! Thank you Dena and Sandy for the pictures.