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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.
Or maybe it’s the camera that’s swaying.
I believe they are connected together. When it is windy, you can see the nest platform swaying. Makes me dizzy to watch it LOL.
😆 I get dizzy too.
When it appears the platform is swaying, I look at the houses. So far, they have been “blowing in the wind” so I presume it is the camera that is shaking and not the platform on the pole.
I think it is the camera. See my reply to Annie.
1:23 p.m. Thursday. Both Rachael and Carson in nest. The platform is swaying a bit in the wind.
I’m thinking ‘any time now’ 😉
Rachel seems to be having some trouble moving a light colored twig around. She has been changing it to different places and then moving it again. Wish I could help, seems to be bugging her.
No babies yet!!
Keeping an intruder away a few mornings ago. You can see the intruder just right of center.
Thanks for the photo. Wonder what kind of raptor that was
More nesting supplies coming in from both Rachel and Carson. Nice watching them move the bigger pieces together, helping each other!
Great observation! They’ve been spending a lot of time building up the nest to make room for the chicks. Will today be the day?
I find it very interesting. I am also observing a nest at Morse Pond School and the ones there are doing the exact same thing, adding more to the nest. Another observation I made was Carson and Rachels nest is so clean with just the sticks etc. The one at Morse pond has lots of garbage in it. They even stole a students lunch box a few weeks ago. Great lesson for our students in picking up trash etc.
Glen, I hope so, I’m still waiting and watching patiently. Peace joan
Cutest photo!
Carson on the nest
Does anyone know what happened to the video cam? Or is any else seeing a white screen? I am seeing a white screen at the moment (and for the past 15-ish minutes).
When Carson is not at the nest does anyone know if he is roosting close by or is he away from the nest?
Thank you
There are a few times I’ve seen him circle around and appear to head towards the taller trees to the left and behind the camera. I suspect that his normal roosting place is there.
I only see 3 eggs. Did something happen? I have observed a third osprey circling the nest.
Morning Tara, there are 4 eggs but there were some very close fly bys a few minutes ago that got both Rachel and Carson vigorously squawking. I am not sure why a third osprey would taunt the nest since their only diet consists of fish.
There was a third osprey that would land on the nest without problem last year. This year they seem to be chasing it away. Also there was a nest last year on the building there, that I believe fell down after the season was over. If the nest is back, maybe the third osprey is from that nest.
one of the eggs has darker markings and is harder to see, but there are still 4 there
I’m a little confused. Carson flies in, mounts on top of Rachel for about 5 seconds and then flies off. Is this typical amorous activity during this phase?
Yeah-I was about to ask if Carson finally realizes Rachel has her hands full, since I hadn’t noticed any mating, but then I saw him on Rachel this morning as well. Getting close to hatching watch
Oh dear – Dianne – he just did it again! I don’t know if I should laugh or feel bad for Rachel. She squawked a bit but not sure what the sounds meant.
I hope she can’t get pregnant again, but 🤷♀️
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!