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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.
anybody see a feeding, or in fact, carson this morning?
Yes. There was a feeding earlier. The older chick was doing some rearranging of the twigs which I thought was cute. I tried to get some snap shots but you could not make it out.
excellent!! i saw the chicks doing the same. they’re definitely learning and also curious trying to peek over center of nest.
Another beautiful morning
We may never really know what happened to Kilo.
Truly grateful to have a peak into their lives. Following for 3 seasons, all Winter long I hope to see Rachel & Carson return in Spring
Here’s a pic with date/time stamp…arrows point to what I think I see are 4, hard to tell…can any of you tell. I’m limited to iPhone so can’t really say…
Just wondering… if there is a hole in the nest and the baby fell? I understand they didn’t find the baby below… just thinking…I wish a biologist would be able to go up to take a look in the nest….
Maybe Rachel (or Carson) inadvertently stepped on Kilo during their – what I call – unnecessary nest rearranging. They have both been doing that over the past several days. I don’t understand why they find the need to “twinkle toe” around the chicks to move the twigs.
I think as the chicks get larger R & C start to build up & expand nest…just a thought…
Same activity last yr & yr before.
My best guess is that the 4th chick (not sure which one) disappeared sometime between 11pm and 4am. At night they’re mostly underneath Rachel and when they are visible they’re a huddled mass and hard to accuratey count heads. I haven’t been able to even find a time when Rachel left the nest last night. I’ll look some more tomorrow. Very sad, but we knew from the start it’s very unusual for 4 chicks to all survive to fledge.
I think that was just a leaf or other nest material.
I was at refuge & saw the large screen TV, was amazing to watch, larger than life. I usually just use iPhone which hinders the viewing
I was working in yard when everything started & just thought just go take a look…there’s a path that goes right by nest. Went in real quiet & just stood still to watched for any movement or chirps nothing, then looked up at underneath of platform & surrounding trees. Knowing if found the little one I would not be able to touch being a protected species but I would place box over it & then let the wildlife people take it
I am pretty sure I saw one of the babies off to the left halfway to the edge. I don’t remember when or which one, but it seemed pretty clear.
very strange and sad. thanx to all who are trying to find kilo.
Osprey project went to look & no Kilo found. Also they did check video footage and only saw the three around 5am…
Please thank the Osprey Project for checking. I am so bummed it turned out this way.
On a side note and completely opposite to this behavior, I watched the Port Lincoln Australia Osprey nest over our winter months. The pair of chicks in this nest were like they hatched from the same egg. They were almost inseparable. It was such a pleasure to watch them grow and fledge.
I’m back and am looking through recordings. I’ve also been in touch with the Osprey Project. Will post anything definitive we learn as soon as possible.
Welcome back! So curious to know when kilo went missing & the cause.
That’s so cool, basically twins. The perfect nest. Thanks for sharing
Oh I Thanked them bunches…so grateful for all that they do. These people are the Osprey keepers & love what they do
Looks like there are only 3 chicks. The way the oldest kept pecking at the other osprey’s I am guessing he killed the 4th bird or wasn’t feed enough. Shame😱
Osprey project is going over to check in a few
Excellent. I hope there is good news!
I’ve been looking on and off all day and was hoping i was wrong in seeing only 3 chicks. Can’t imagine what happened, even the tiniest seemed to be doing very well🥲
Also, the nest hole is pretty deep to keep the chicks from falling out🤷♀️ and seeing as it was the youngest chick… its a mystery
On a lighter note, chimney Osprey are at it again
Came to refuge, looked around pole, spoke with a staff member too. They plan to look some more.
Watched big screen at visitor ctr. Definitely 3 chicks. So very sad 🥲
I hope Glenn can view this mornings video to determine what actually happen…
Watching this morning Rachel flew off the nest several times leaving it without parental supervision. She returned at one point with a very large stick. Is it possible she dropped it on Kilo, injured him and he’s still in the nest but buried down in the soft center? I don’t believe he was active enough to get to the edge and fall out. Such a mystery!
I saw her with that big stick covered in moss…do wonder if maybe kilo got hit & oops up and over…who knows
I really think I saw all 4 & Kim thought so too. Wicked curious to know
I’m seeing only 3 chicks too. I wonder what happened to little Kilo.
Sweet!
oh no- i’ve been out since early this a.m. what’s happening?
Anyone on the osprey project Falmouth Facebook? Thought I post concern but don’t do Facebook,
Spoke with the Falmouth Osprey project, they gave me a phone number to call another person who may be able to go take a look, left a detailed voice message
I really thought I saw all four this morning…do you think Kilo fell off nest
I agree, I saw all 4 being fed at around 7:30am today. Everyone looked great!
Thanks Kim for letting us know this…
Getting big!
I think you’re right. Clearly only 3 where there were 4 earlier this morning. 🙁
I only see 3 too!!
I only see 3 Chicks
same here but Dena saw all 4 🙏🤞
💕💕💕
I second that!
Carson looks so pleased, all at peace
Todays lesson, feed yourselves 😀
Wow Carson eating 1/2 fish feeding chicks while a whole fish lays to the right. Rachel takes a break & flies off. Amazing!
Can you see all 4?
Yes, they all ate real well with no fighting
Carson has been doing an exceptional job feeding the family! I keep watching to see 4 chicks because one of the 2 older chicks is very aggressive to the others. I’ve seen some neck biting on one of the 2 younger chicks. It’s hard to watch sometimes. I tried to get pics but my pics do not convey situations.
Morning I’ve been watching Rachel & Carson’s nest for three yrs, seen some very disturbing behavior especially Alpha beating up Charlie each day with or without fish. Amazing he overcame all the physical abuse & survived. Carson was not a good provider that yr. So far with the quantity of fish chicks are not trying to actually kill each other for food. So when I see the older chicks going at it I feel it’s like our children getting rough with each other…it’s just nature way of teaching survival skills .
All 4 in front
Lots of fish today and Carson feeding the chicks several times that I’ve seen. Nice to see him participate in the feeding process 😍
love watching them, they are so cute
Sunday brunch
Wow – they are all getting so big!
Rachel feeds chicks, they get their fill, Rachel finishes the rest @ 6:20am
6:28pm. Carson just showed up with a small fish. He ate most of it, and then flew off.
One of the babies was picking up dropped food from the nest. Seems early to be doing that?
Carson helps out with feeding 💕
Hungry chicks
Yay! breakfast is served