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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.
The Ospreys should be applauded for not nesting here with the huge threat of Apex predator
Owls here.
We would not be happy watching what could ensue.
The Osprey never wins.
We haven’t noticed any Osprey on the Chimney yet.
Okay Thanks!
Don’t forget the nest platform blew off last year and on 4/2/24 they got a new one and then they really got the nest together fast!
I looked back on 2024 and there was a rather benign instance ( 9/5/24) when the/an owl came to the nest at night while Juliet was there alone. The owl decided to leave and not confront or attack, but they may feel more ownership this year as they have been using the nest regularly all winter it appears 🤷♀️😵💫.
Glenn, have the chimney ospreys returned?
I’m not sure about the chimney nest. I’ll ask someone at WBNERR if there’s been activity.
Thanks!
I’m wondering if the osprey can detect the presence of the owl on the nest when they aren’t there during the night. For this time of year there is very little activity in the nest compared to past years. It saddens me to think they won’t risk nesting this season because of the owls.
I agree that I am saddened that the owls are discouraging Carson and Rachel from setting up their summer home again. On the other hand, it’s frightening to think that the owls could return and harm young osprey chicks. I read that the owls do not like making their own nests and would rather take ownership of another nest that has been well established, often taking over a hawk’s nest or crow’s nest. Maybe Carson’s nest will require too much work to interest an owl. There’s clearly a hole in the bottom and it will require a lot of work to support eggs and a young family. Let’s just hope the owls move onto another location and let Carson and Rachel get to work.
I just looked at some dates from last year to compare activity in the nest. The nest building by Rachel didn’t begin until about March 28, and the battles over the nest between Carson and the male who arrived before him occurred on March 29th & 30th. So, while I can’t answer the question of whether the presence of the owl at night will impact nesting, they’re not behind schedule yet. I would expect we’ll see more activity over the next week. Once started, the nest was built up fairly quickly over just a few days.
Thank you for these dates from last year. They help to alleviate some of the angst caused by the intruder.
Reassuring for sure to know there’s still time to build up the nest appropriately. Owls please go away!!!!
Looks like Carson is starting to do some clean up work on the nest. But, didn’t stay long, only about 10 minutes.
5:01 owl
arrived at 04:42. just hooting. gone right after you saw it
The nest is such a mess. I wonder if they are ensuring ownership before starting to work on much-needed repairs.
i think we have our couple🙏🤞
Yes we do! That is Carson 🙂
carson-is that you?
I think the “real” Carson has arrived. There were some brief territorial skirmishes this morning at 6:40 and 7:12, then I just observed him again in the nest taking a defensive posture. I could be wrong about which is which, but there are definitely 3 ospreys alternating in the nest. As to the owls, well, it will be interesting to see how that plays out, but I don’t think there was any activity seen of them last night. Maybe they are getting the message that the nest is occupied, and their winter tenancy has run out. A battle between osprey and owl would not be pretty. Fingers crossed that all of this resolves soon and with the least conflict.
3/25/25 03:51 rodent in the nest – no owl. seems like a dangerous place to be hanging out. Otherwise, clear nest until 05:52
I agree with comments about lack of attention on the nest and also wonder if Carson hasn’t really returned yet. I try to compare the markings of Carson from past seasons to the other osprey that have been seen so far this year. That hole in the center of the nest worries me as well. Although I did see one of the osprey bringing soft material several days ago. It certainly wasn’t much however.
I’m curious if this has anything to do with the owls that have been there in the evenings that visit all night?
I thought that too so I did a Google AI search about osprey sense of smell and it said that “ospreys, like most raptors, have poorly developed sense of smell and rely heavily on their eyesight and hearing . . .”.
Yes Kim. Im sure the Osprey roost in the trees near the nest and see the Owls there at night, and makes for insecurity….and they should go elsewhere. before they become an evening Owl repast .
I recall that Carson was late last year and had to battle the other male off the nest. Yes Sandy and Kim, I had wondered too if the owls were making them reconsider this as a safe location. It would be a terrible thing to watch that so let’s hope it sorts itself out. Also does anyone know if the Ospreys that nest on the chimney have come back?
so i’m questioning my initial i.d. of carson returning on 3/20. i’m pretty sure that this is rachel who has been sitting on the nest, but the fact that there isn’t more mating or nest building is confusing.
I did see 2 matings but do wonder about who’s who. I have seen a lot of “waiting and looking around” and as you mentioned not enough nest building. Looks like there is quite the hole in the middle of the nest that needs desperate repair and no one seems to be focusing on that.
something is off-is it possible that carson still hasn’t arrived?
So looking forward to this new season. Welcome back Rachel & Carson.
She has got to get moving on repairing the nest. Where’s the Mister ????
Looks good now! Thank you!
Check the owl looking to party (3/22/2024, 23:17:13)
I took a closer look and it appears to be fish brought onto the nest by the owl. I guess that he/she’s a sharing type of owl.
I’m not sure why this has been happening, but I’ll have our hosting provider look a the issue tomorrow. They’re on the West coast, so may not be fully resolved until Monday afternoon.
Video issues again!
Yes. Seeing same problem live streaming as yesterday. Another reset???
Last nights recording now, ….?
owl stayed until 03:00 and returned at 05:26 for its rodent remains. Still there at 05:28
Owl on the nest again 1:09 am. Wonder how they are going to work this out 😵💫😳
The first Owl called for quite awhile before the second one finally came to the nest. Owl #2 took the food and then Owl #1 flew off. I hope they don’t create problems for this nest. Osprey and Great Horned Owls don’t do well together and it’s the Osprey that gets the short end of the stick.
I would hate to see that happen.
Yes, the Owl has been here nocturnally all winter.
Great shot Carol!
I just watched the few minutes before and after this owl interaction. It was interesting to see the “gift of rodent” to the other. This is the first time owl(s) have spent so much time at this nest and I’m hoping it does not last too much longer. The only good take away is they are reducing the rodent population!
Looks like a long black cord in the nest. Hope its a branch?
Owl eats a rodent i think, on the nest at 11:48 pm, Sat night.
owl hooting on the nest as of 11:35 Saturday night
all is well glued to the video
I think Carson is doing his imitation of a stork. Sitting at the corner of the box on one leg. Maybe he knows something we don’t. Lol.
So excited that Osprey season has begun! I look forward to checking in every day to see their progress!
12:29am and all seems well with the stream.
thanx glenn.
I just reset the stream. Seems okay now, but you may need to refresh the page.
hi- i logged out, cleared cache and it brought up the image from last night. when i hit go live it shows the image from 11:10am today (now 11:21am) for a few seconds then freezes again.🤷♀️
Nest building early
Is anyone having trouble viewing live video streaming?
Yes, the image is from last night
Live stream seems to disconnect and revert back to night time.
I even cleared my cache.
Yes, its not showing live streaml its showing past recording.
Pushed the bar at bottom and its showing 7 am and it is almost 9 am.
it’s now 11am and when i log in it shows yesterdays date at 21:27. when i hit go live it shows today at 7:26am for a couple of seconds and then freezes. weird
Something weird going on for sure. Looking into the issue…
Very vocal this morning
Morning Osprey 🥰
Owl on nest at 12:04 am
They just mated!
👏🫶👏😍🥰
They’re not wasting any time 😄
One more mating at 7:02pm 😊
Merc .. I think this is Carson. Rachel has had a tail feather out of place. This is really wonderful to see them return and build the nest!
I just took this pic of one of the osprey that have arrived. I do not believe it is Rachel based on the bib. Lorene – I looked at your pic from last year and our latest arrivals could be children??? Oh the suspense! But so glad to hear them again.
Would sure be nice if they had name tags 😵💫😂.
So happy to see & hear Osprey again