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Welcome to “Season Three” 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 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.
I posted another long clip of skirmishes on and above the nest from just after 9am this morning. One bird is clearly a female, the other 2 most likely males and I think one may be the old Carson. The action continued for over 15 minutes, but I can’t post a video that long.
In the upper left corner of the nest it looks like an osprey trying to get a stick from a bush on the ground. I thought it was the wind but did see what I thought was an osprey working on getting it loose.
Maybe it was the wind, just seemed to be moving around a lot more that the breeze 🤷♀️
has anyone witnessed any successful mating or nest building since the 2nd male showed up? to me, it seems like “rachel” is not interacting with the male with a bib.
I think this is Rachel and one of her chicks. Last year one was slow to leave the nest. Maybe this is them. I think she is calling out to Carson. “Bring us some fish!”
Haha, I just saw someone waving at the camera from an suv! Too funny.
Excited for this years show.,👏
is there any way to put a “hood” over the camera to keep basic rain from showing on the screen? . Heavy wind and driving rain completely understand you can’t do much.
Thanks and regards,
Does anyone watch Cape Cod Museum camera? This pair needs a lesson in nest building!
Last year there were repeated incidents with an intruder osprey. Maybe he is back.
Wow! Some really fierce battles over the nest were seen yesterday. Great job to those who posted the screen shots – you’ve got amazing reactions! I added a couple of clips to the highlights. I’m tempted to call the new male Carson II (or just Carson for short, if that doesn’t create too much confusion). It’s still a mystery whether this year’s Rachel is last year’s female. Since we can’t really know for sure, what do people think about always calling the resident pair Rachel and Carson?
Maybe Carson II for now in case Carson I is running late and gets here and can retake the nest? I am still going back and forth on whether that is Rachel or not but regardless it looks like she is here to stay. Maybe Rachel with an ? until it becomes clearer if that’s her. Seems improbable ( but not impossible) that neither of them made it back ☹️. The nest we watch down on the Chesapeake Conservancy has had numerous “Tom’s “ but I think they number them I would need to check…When we are looking back on previous years (as this is a long term project now) having them numbered but with the same names seems like a good idea and might be less confusing on the look backs to see how the nest residents have changed. Just my thoughts
so-if I was writing the plot, (because I want our original Rachel and Carson), it would go like this——-Rachel returned on the 17th, no Carson around. One of her offspring (alpha, bravo?) arrives and Rachel submits to his mating but she still looks for Carson . Then Carson returns but the male first on the nest doesn’t want to relinquish his claim. has anybody noticed any mating, combined nest building etc since “Carson” returned cause I haven’t hopefully this male will go, Carson will again be with Rachel and the sun will shine tomorrow. 🙏🙏🤞🤞🫶🫶🥰🤷♀️
Perfect Glenn.
Folks may understand that these could be birds from the chimney nest or anywhere really!
The only definitive identification would be if they were tagged.
As Glenn said, best to think of a male and female here,
named Adam and Eve …..or Rachel and Carson.
lol! 🙂
Happy couple enjoying a beautiful rain free morning at 6:45 am
I can’t get live feed
The male on the nest flipped completely upside-down fending off another male!
wow! great shot👏👏👏
Holy crap! I did not think they could perform acrobatics! Impressive and great defensive actions!
who are you?..
Good question! Beautiful and excellent pic!
thanx. Barry’s shot must’ve been the second after my shot
It was a fraction of a second later. Both pics have the exact same timestamp!
there is a third osprey. around 16:18 (fri) another osprey tried to land. The female didn’t seem upset but the male osprey with the necklace chased him off
not sure -if Glenn can check the tape, maybe it’s Carlson?
Happened again at 16:36
15:59 Just observed another mating attempt by the “freckled” male. Glen was right, I was wrong. What I thought was two females on the nest the past couple of days has to be wrong. What I think now is there is a male suitor in the absence of the predominate male of this nest for the past seaons. Sorry but he is gone. Further evidence to me is, the female on this nest (if it is from last year and I think it is) allows this new suitor to land on her back but I do not see any actual copulation. The other significant thing I observe is this female constantly calls as if to call for her mate of the last few years…….Maybe I’m wrong again…………….
I am so excited to see them back! I love watching the whole process. It is very calming.
Nest building…possibly 2
https://www.birdnote.org/listen/shows/ospreys-never-stop-building
They look so cute with their head feathers all fluffed from the rain.
👍
Volume is back here:)
nope no volume
I just checked back in and the volume is back. 👍
thanx-wish the osprey would face the camera together so we could get a good look at their chest.
No volume here either
Did anyone lose volume? I don’t believe there has been much calling or squawking but I don’t even hear any surrounding wind/noise.
11:55 Someone’s been resting on the nest in this terrible weather. I wonder who it could be?
I am not sure if the female on the nest, who has been calling and spending most time there, is Rachel. I just looked at some of last year’s videos and Rachel has feathers that are all dark. This female’s feathers have a light/white outline. I am getting concerned. As mentioned earlier, this must be one of the children from 2 years ago. I did a query and last years Echo and Foxtrot probably won’t return until next year.
is it possible that it’s not Rachel or Carson after all? maybe our couple got a late start or the weather has thrown them off course? 🤞🙏😢
🤞
Though I must admit that the nest is really taking shape! There have been quite some nice additions to it ☺️🙂
This was last night 12:36 am
General note to everyone… when posting screen shots, please try to include the full image so the date and time are visible, rather than cropping. That way, I can easily go back and capture corresponding video. Thanks!
Glenn-at around 14:18 thurs mating took place. I think there is a good view of the males’ bib. I wasn’t quick enough to get screenshots but i thought he had a slight necklace 🤷♀️
Right, good catch. Here’s a screenshot of it. Since it does not appear to be Carson, it make me wonder if he’s still around at all. It also may explain the “2 females” noted by others working together on nest building. Males can have necklaces too.
thanx for posting. so that might explain the confusion over “Carson’s” return? or have mature ospreys ever had a change in their necklace?
In season one I posted a picture here of two Montana osprey on a nest. Each had snow white breasts. One was male and the other a female.
Glenn- are you able to retrieve footage from 3/27 from around 6:30 am? think that was the first time posting of 2 osprey on nest and they seemed comfortable with each other. perhaps there’s a frame that catches their bibs? I don’t want to think that Carson is m.i.a.
Want to see a prolific bib/necklace……watch here
https://www.earthcam.com/usa/massachusetts/oxford/?cam=oxford_osprey
That is an impressive and beautiful necklace indeed!
I’ve watched here of and on (mostly on) all day today.1st observation is every time I look there are two osprey on the chimney nest. Have not seen them fly off to fish and eat. Next most of you are not going to like……Staring at 1715 there were two osprey on the nest…..both of them female, one stayed on the nest calling and calling the other kept flying in and out with nest materials this ended about 1738 with the caller remaining on the nest….I watched a ton of previous years photos/highlights and neither one of them looks like the presiding female mother of the past two years……they just do not have the bib/necklace……the presiding female mother of the past two years did not have the most prolific bib/necklace but these two do not seem to match. Yes I saw Barry’s post and obviously a male visited the nest.
Surferboy – now that you mention it, I observed same. Both osprey in the nest – as you stated – are females; and – as you said one calling and calling and the other has been flying in and out. At one point one of them had – what I believe – a very serious look as though something was down on the ground.
The first time I saw behavior like that was earlier today……one had flown in with a very small fish……the existing female on the nest cowered and acted submissive…….
so I agree with you that there were2 females on the nest wed early evening. I think 🤔 the vocal one might have been Rachel, tho- given her behavior of “speech” . Carson and Rachel def were the couple in the morning. I went thru my pics and am posting this pic of Rachel from the 2022 season – before the poopy camera issue
I agree, I looked back through my pics and the ospreys on the nest this am are imo R & C. The markings on back of C head always reminded me of a silhouette of a flying dove and that’s what I think see this am.
The two osprey that spent most of the early morning on the nest are both female. The one that is not here now (9:25 AM) is responsible for all this new nesting material. The one that is here now spent the night on the nest and experienced brief mating at 6:45 and 8:33. The male was there for less than a minute each time.
The mystery deepens 🥴😊. Maybe one of the babies from two years ago 🤷♀️? Well keep us posted 👍
Agreed….the nest building female (who just stopped in and then left) must be one of the young from the past as she is totally tolerated on the nest
2022 good head on shot of Rachel
From this am looks like Carson to me
Surferboy, a question for you: you mentioned the “chimney nest” – are you observing from the ground? Or are you talking about the nest on the pole that the camera is on? As you may be aware, there is a second nest located on the chimney of a nearby building (not visible from the camera). This is the one we refer to as the chimney nest. If you’re watching from the ground, I’d be very curious whether you’ve seen any birds travel from one nest to the other.
Glen, I was there off and on for a lot of the day yesterday. I neglected to bring optics so I cannot comment much about the two I saw on the chimney nest. There was plenty of flying osprey but I never saw any go from one nest to another.
A little hanky-panky?
carson!! did you at least bring rachel dinner first??🤣
Welcome home to Rachel and Carson !! 😀 So nice to see you. Ohhh more rain is a coming but not so much the wind.
Looks like already doing housekeeping and adding to the nest! What’s up with the oyster shell anyone see that arrive?
Been there since last year……..
YAY!
finally!,,, welcome home Rachel and Carson. seems there is another osprey off camera.
Yay!👏😊
03/27 6:55am And now there’s 2 🤗
I drove on the property yesterday and noticed there is a nest on top of chimney of the large building on the right side of the circle!
It’s been there for years. Usually partially falls down and/or partially into the chimney, but it produces osprey.
Crow taking sticks while Osprey watches
This visitor was calling out loudly this morning
Any thoughts about this visitor?
Now there’s 2
Crow took pieces of the nest to build his nest in the tree.
Crow seems to like the nest…good luck LOL!
Looks like him and his mate are setting up house 😹🙀
The osprey in the photos so far look quit a bit smaller to me than last year. Could it be that they are just thinner after the long migration, or more likely a squatter that just found the nest?