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Welcome to “Season Four” of our osprey cam! Carson arrived on March 20th, 2025. 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 2025 (“Season Four”)
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.
Awww -that was nice. Carson brought back a tail of a fish for Rachel. She took it and flew off!
poor Rachel
I think it’s still 4 eggs.
Yes. Maybe just the nest fluttering.
looks like 4 eggs still.
Zoom in
Looks like there may be hatching
It’s a few days too early for that. Pip watch should start around Tues/Wed, (22/23).
And Rachel is back to take charge
Carson seems to be ‘panting’ quite a bit. Have not seen that behavior before. Any thoughts as to why?
They usually pant when they’re hot. Perhaps he had done a lot of flying around or chasing intruders from the area?
Oh good, he just noticed and is now on all 4!
Hmm, is that Carson on the nest. Hard to tell as he/she is sitting on eggs. Looks like he is only on 3 though. Maybe he doesn’t realize but one is next to him. 6:33 am
The males sometimes have trouble covering the eggs because of their smaller size, especially with 4 eggs.
Check out this pic. For about 4 seconds there was no one in attendance at nest. Rachel – for whatever reason (maybe needed to stretch her wings??) – just flew off but came back within 4 seconds.
Every morning when I check Carson is the one on the eggs. Rachel flies in and they seamlessly change places. I don’t remember him doing so much incubation last year.
I was just looking at last years hilights (in particular the video in April of Mom and Dad switching places on the eggs) and noticed how much bigger this years nest is! This years nest is quite the upgrade.
This was the longest time I have seen Carson at the nest with Rachel. It was at least 40 minutes; then he flew off for the night (approx 8pm to 8:40pm). It might have been longer but that is when I started looking at the camera.
7:29pm May 18 Thursday
Do I see an egg with a broken end? Possible head movement? Front left facing us. I will look again after the night light is on.
Rachel was just cleaning around the eggs – still 4 intact. They sho⁸uld start hatching next week!
I have not been able to get a picture for several days. Are other people having a problem?
clearing your browser cache has worked for many of us.
hope it helps!
Im a journalist for the Mashpee Enterprise, Is It ok fo write an article about the Ospreys, Also what type of trees are near the nest? thank you, joan
Hi Joan. That would be wonderful for you to write an article – thank you! Great question about trees. The nest platform is at the edge of a wooded area, with a mix of pitch pines, white pines, white oaks and spruce trees. There’s also a large beech tree close by and some smaller hollies underneath the platform. Feel free to contact me directly to help with any other questions.
go to the reserve at 131 waquoit highway where you can see the nest and talk the research lab is located. I just visited there and they are wonderful people with a wealth of information.
Thank you for that information. i will be vacationing on the Cape next month and look forward to a visit there.
I tune in a couple of times a day. I love it when they are both there together. Can’t wait for the little ones!
Four lovely eggs. Patient Rachel!
She seems very peaceful sitting on her eggs! ❤️
Monday morning @5:40 I only saw 3 eggs, though there was 4.
Still four eggs Tom. Rachel was standing and I got a good look at them. 7:20 am
Yes. There are 4.
I will have to watch and look even closer. Was about to post that I only saw 3 as well when they changed shifts about 7:20am. Those eggs can be tough to see — guess that’s the whole idea!! Lol.
Counted 4 in the afternoon light. 3 darker ones and one with a lighter hue. Shift change at lunch — 12:17pm
Looks like a gorgeous day at the Cape!
Thank you for this look at nature that I would not be able to enjoy otherwise.
I have the picture-in-picture feature running as I am doing other things on the internet so I can keep an eye on what is going on. Today, a movement caught my eye – it was tiny and white – I immediately thought – a chick, but alas it was just a feather caught in the nest moving in the breeze.
6:49 AM shift change
I had to figure out how to clear my browser, but it worked. Thanks!
Great 👍
I think Rachel just used a stick to kick Carson off the eggs so she could be the one incubating them…! Roughly 20:10.
Any news?
Are the eggs expected to begin hatching next week or later than that?
First egg laid on April 18 so approx 37 days later we should have a chick
The first egg was laid this year on April 18th. With an incubation period of 36-42 days, we should expect the first hatchling between May 23rd – 30th. Stay tuned!
No video for me for 2 days. I’ve tried refreshing, shut off phone, etc. Any other suggestions? Thanks
clearing your browser may correct . Worked for a few of us. Luck!
Clearing browser worked for me fine.
Still adding twigs and leafs to the nest
These Ospreys are beautiful.. Im 83 and in bed most of the time. This habitat helps me heal and it is educational so I don”t think about my pain.
I find watching them very comforting as well. It is like a balm to some of the grief I feel from several losses. I am glad you also are able to enjoy them.
THANKS SO MUCH. CARSON IS A BETTER HUSBAND THAN A LOT OF HUMANITY I KNOW., THEY ARE JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED ,AS WE USTA SAY, SMILE
Poor Rachael in the rain
Trying this one more time. Can anyone explain to me as to why my two posts I made recently aren’t showing here? Is it because I’m not using my real name? TIA.
It usually takes 24-48 hours for first time posters to be approved. Your posts will show up immediately moving forward. Most people use at least a first name to be identified. It doesn’t even have to be your real name if you’re concerned about privacy.
Still four beautiful eggs!
How do I get rid of the pin in this comment? I’m tired of seeing it and wondering if there are more recent comments.
I was able to unstick it. Thanks for pointing it out.
I guess I’m not invited/welcomed here? My reply to Mary Ann isn’t being posted an hour ago. 🤔
Your posts are showing now. can you see them?
Are there three eggs?
There are 4 !
More amorous activity this morning. Could there be a chance for another clutch? Or does this amorous activity just carry on all season long?
I liked the way they fortified the top of the nest with larger sticks recently when it was about to get windy. Its like they knew the wind was coming.
The weather forecast posted is good to view but not always
accurate. I am viewing rain showers that are not showing up on the posted forecast.
Rachel is getting up and shedding water of her feathers.
It seems to only update when you refresh the page. So for people who keep the webcam running for hours (or days!), it doesn’t show the latest conditions. I chose that app since it took up minimum screen space. Last year I just included a link to the WBNERR weather station. Should I go back to that?
I like having this one, gives me the current temp. But I also refresh my page frequently!
This is one tuckered out parent.