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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.
No picture either 6:10pm
Not able to view
Seems ok, Merc. May have been a temporary issue. Are you able to view it now?
Hmmmmm. I said earlier that it was working after saying it was not working. But now it’s not working on my ipad – but oddly enough – it’s working on my iPhone. I don’t get it. I’ll just have a glass of champagne – ha! 🥂
Interesting you say that, I’ve only been able to view the web cam on my iPhone, I get the black screen with the spinning circle on my laptop. 🤷♀️
Is anyone having trouble viewing nest? I am unable to see on my ipad and iPhone, even after clearing my history and website data.
I take it back – it is working now.
Awesome pics Cole..thanx for sharing.
I live over on ‘Great Pond’, an Estuary about 3 north of Waquoit. We have at least 3 active Osprey nests on the Bay, one of which is just 100 feet from my home. I thought I’d share with you some fantastic pictures taken last week on Great Pond that appeared in the Boston Herald; enjoy!
https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/08/07/birds-of-prey-grab-breakfast/
I walked Great Bay Road last night with my dog. There were about 7 or 8 osprey hovering above the water. One flew away with a fish. It was cool to see them out fishing as a family!
🐟
Good, but also sad to see the last juvenile that has been hanging around the nest so much is finally spending more time away. Hopefully its working on its fishing skills and getting stronger for the long migration coming up.
No worries Barry, thinking Echo is the one last in nest will be fine. Yesterday & today more time away…being fed each day so just a matter of extra time. Last night & tonight both juveniles sleeping in next. Also last year Glenn mentioned that sometimes the youngest chick stays on the nest to guard it. Last year it was Charlie who would not leave nest. Rachel & Carson did not attend to him as much as this chick, perhaps busy with Alpha & Bravo. Somehow someway Charlie did finally find his wings & went fishing.
If you followed last year you know how difficult is was to watch poor Charlie struggle right from the get go…
It is extremely common for the youngest to remain on the nest for prolonged amounts of time. I know of a few different where this is going on right now and I have observed it in the past. I do have a twist for you though, I think the second osprey sleeping on the nest (and the same of a couple nights gone by) is the female mother.
Rachel? Looking again I do believe you’re right.
I had the luxury of seeing her arrive in the daylight. It’s harder to determine with the night vision camera. Someone thought it was two juveniles on the nest a night or two ago, but no it is the female.
a few different nests…..
Charlie lands on nest with fish…go to last season highlights posted 09/11/2022 to see video of what determination will do, pure survival!
Dogfish are delicious to humans too….and the daily scup…lol Was interesting to see a little variety in the catch.
Half a fish delivery 1:05 pm. Friday 8/11.
Go fishing 🎣
great action shot!❤️
Morning, have you ever heard of the IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare)? I found out about them last year when we found a stranded baby pup seal on Shoestring Bay and the Cotuit Post Office recommended them! You can check out their website (https://www.ifaw.org/). There is a local number to call in Yarmouth. They are very helpful and were on the scene in less that 2 hours when we contacted them.
Curious, so when you contacted wildlife rescue what happened
Good to hear they are now aware of injury …do you think they’ll update you once she speaks with her supervisor. Need that leg to catch fish.
Hoping & 🙏 something can be done
Happy you noticed injury & reported it…it’s a beginning
Thanks Glen! I can’t believe it was a baby shark – holy crap!
Posted! Check out the highlights.
Yummy 😋
ya, 6;20 am breakfast for momma osprey Carson came with a good size fish, would be nice in my frying pan also, smile
Morning fish delivery 08/10 6:25am
Delta or Echo is squawking up a storm! Maybe we should consider live fish delivery via drone – LOL!!! I know it would send wrong message cause they need to learn how to fend for themselves but I like the idea! 😂🤣
🤔😹
Hi, I haven’t been on in a few days. I don’t see the second juvenile around. Any thoughts?
It’s so hard to tell which is which. Maybe both (all three?? including neighbor-kid Zulu) have been around, just not at the same time.
Hi Sandi, both juveniles were in next last night around 10pm looking very tired
6:30 am – Rachel delivers a nice-sized fish (no head) to…. Echo, probably.
Here:
Ospreys in Falmouth Great Pond fishing were highlighted in this Boston Herald article.
The link only worked for those with a subscription, so I took screenshots.
Article
More photos
More
More
More
I always have to be logged in to read the E- Edition.
…..glad you got it!
Sandy, thank you for posting all the photos! Nice to see that it made the Boston Herald.
Is that a small shark
Yes
My mistake water on the camera lens looked like the nest had water in it
Looks like they can catch fish right in the nest, a small pond
Pelting rain , winds and thunderstorm at 11:40 am.
how fishing was accomplished is no small feat!
We even had 2 tornados on the Cape today.
Delivery date/time 08-08 at 11:43:00 on
fish delivery
I just posted a few clips from the past few days. Sorry for the delay in catching up. Thanks to everyone for posting dates and times!
There was also an interesting event yesterday 8/7 around 11:39 am. The nest-sitting juvenile started screaming loudly at another incoming juvenile. As it was about to land, the local lunged at it to prevent it from landing and there was a brief scuffle. The local was pushed off the nest and the other landed. The local flew in circle and came back and kicked the other off the nest after another scuffle.
I tried to catch the scuffle but it happened too fast.
Glenn, thank you for posting. The pink sunset time lapse was – first – beautiful – but also had me ROFLOL (rolling on floor LOL) because it was time lapsed and the sounds of the squawking just sounded hilarious!
And thank you for that missed landing night time video and that fish fight between mom and chick!
Do we know where it’s parents are? In the area??
It would seem to me that the “homebody” juvenile might want to spend a bit more time flying to build up muscle for the fall migration. Or maybe it is just enjoying the summer and will think about it when the nights start getting cold.
Might want to spend a whole bunch more time learning to fish.
Thanks for the updates and photos, Dena! Those are harder to get, now that the young ones are fledged and often out of the nest.
Just ate the tail…
Fish-snack…
Osprey morning!
Nice!
Peachy pink sky..,
What a beautiful picture! Where is that? Thanks for sharing
Amrita Island, Garnet Rd near Megansett Rd North Falmouth. This nest is viewable at Garnet Rd.
So nice out there! Love that area ❤️
So gorgeous, Dena!!
And very peaceful
Now that’s a lot of little ones to feed…wildlife is a precious gift to all of us. ❤️ your pic!
😳that’s a lot of babies 🥴☺️!
It’s an amazing location to see nest, right by the road, you could almost reach out & touch it. Can also watch them fishing, lots of wildlife there too…great walking trails
Is Rachel falling asleep with a fish in her talons! Ha! Lol!
I was thinking the very same…food coma 😄 thanks for going by to check on fallen chick, nice to know things seem fine
Almost took fish away