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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.
Seen something sad this morning house near Menuhant beach. Was taking down a osprey nest from its roof. The ospreys have been on the nest for a while now. They were there last year too. I wish they would have taken care of it last year after the ospreys left, when eggs were in the nest
Not only sad but illegal without a permit under both federal and state law, if the nest has eggs. You can report it to MassWildlife (508-389-6300).
Report them..
Is it normal for her to appear to be “panting”? Her mouth is open and she appears to be breathing thru her mouth.
Yes! Like many animals, ospreys (and other birds) pant to cool off on hot days. It’s a warm day and Rachel doesn’t get much of a break from the hot sun.
Thank you!
do Osprey ever switch places on the nest? I don’t see much food being brought to her. But maybe my timing is off and I just miss it.
Rachel is on the eggs most of the time and Carson supplies her with meals. But occasionally they do switch places and she has a chance to get some well needed exercise and stretch her wings. Hopefully someone can post a screenshot of a fish being brought to the nest.
Carson brought a fish to the nest for Rachel’s breakfast this morning. She left the nest for a while and Carson sat on the eggs, but then returned to eat.
There was a nice fish and transfer of duties at 930 am today. Rachel gladly took off with the fish and Carson reorganized himself as the “sitter”.
The 3 warm eggs are clearly visible at night captured by the infra-red camera. They can be harder to see during the day given their camouflage. Also the nest bowl seems deeper this year and material in the foreground often obscures a clear view. Will there be a 4th?
3rd egg laid at 2:58am, 4/14
No good view of the egg, but I watched her go through the motions.
Good view of 3 eggs at 6:01am
Oh, this is fantastic!
He brought her a fish at 6:40 this morning but flew off with it soon after. Guess she wanted a better breakfast. 😃
I believe I saw 3 eggs
2 eggs visible at 22:11, on 4/13
So excited for this years chicks!
The huge green headline banner on the website makes impossible to view video horizontally.
Tap the full screen icon at the bottom right corner of the video area.
Richard, I agree, this new banner takes up a lot of space on a smaller screen. When I tap the full screen icon in bottom right of video I can’t zoom. I know it’s petty, sorry Glenn.
I wasn’t able to easily reduce the header, but instead removed it entirely from the osprey cam page. It makes it a little more difficult to navigate to other pages, but this should help for now while I explore other options. I appreciate the feedback.
Glenn, thank you! Not sure why the page header was updated but do appreciate your effort.
Happy Ospreys
Definitely 2
04-11-2026 07:21:49
Rachel laid egg #2 at 4:37 this morning.
Yes, I think you’re right. Thanks for posting the time!
You’re welcome.
I saw both of the ospreys at the nest one flew off the other one was looking down towards the crevice in the nest. I think the egg lodged in that crevice. Now both flew off. I hope I’m wrong.
Does it look like 2 eggs???
I wish the cam took clearer pictures. It’s hard to see the egg(s) – they blend so well with the nest.
There’s definitely 2 eggs! I couldn’t tell when it was laid, but this morning we got a clear view of them both.
One egg!
Do we have an egg? Rachel is sitting in middle of nest 6:38 am, 4/9
No video for hours! Nothing works except for comments.
Try watching using Chrome,
Ann, have you tried reloading, exiting browser, restarting device, clearing cache, etc.? All seems fine with the stream.
Is it really Rachel and Carson? Doesn’t look like them Imo
10:06 with a big wind gust, first egg laid!
Yes! I saw it!!! 😀
I just checked out the video! This is a great start.
This is great! I just checked out the video and still always amazed.
Hooray!! Egg #1. Now let’s hope our cold temperatures and rain hold off this year giving the chances for healthier chicks.
First Egg Has Been Laid 4/8/26
I think I just saw an egg!
Rachel’s first egg can be seen at around 10AM today, April 8th!
I think the first time we can see the baby egg is at 10:06 am. 🙂
In position to lay an egg
Gorgeous couple! Amusing watching the female rearrange the nest while the male stared at the camera😜
Lots of mating going on lately. We’ll probably see the first egg this week. Last year it was April 9th.
There she is! Looking right at the camera!
Looks like they have made the nest nice and deep for protection from the wind. Maybe they are remembering last year and the cold and wet spring we had.
Making the nest lower in the center allows for a lower center of gravity when the nest is full in the fall to compensate for the additional weight.
These artificial nesting platforms that need inspection and attention if needed every year after the nesting season.
They are an excellent platform for the Osprey to nest on but unlike trees who grow and repair themselves naturally every year they are subjected to the elements.
Where do they go at night?
They roost in trees (or on top of the camera, etc ). The nest is just for the eggs and baby birds
Did the group secure the bottom of the nest to insure it doesn’t collapses again. Eg: wire mesh, allowing drainage but secure the bed?
Thanks for all your efforts to make this experience yearly, a great joy.
Great question, cause as I was just watching Carson do some nest building and adjusting, he was moving some of the moss/grass away from the core of the nest – hmmmm. Some kind of mesh reinforcement sure sounds like a great idea to insure a successful season.
I am looking forward to a successful season! Fingers crossed!
Can we tell which is male and which is female? How may years have this couple been coming to this nest?
Females are a bit larger than males, and most
have a dark speckled “necklace” on their chest.
Have they started “canoodling” yet?? I only seem to catch only one of them on the nest at a time.
Yes, a few times.
Owl was evicted
owl
21:51 March 3 Owl with dinner on nest
I see owl still on the nest at 10pm! Whoa – At 22:01 the owl flew off and within a couple seconds both Rachel and Carson flew in. Then shortly after that – I think Rachel – flew on the top of the camera and Carson stayed in nest but flew off. I think tonight will be an interesting night to go back and check the video!
The owl was back early this morning, on the nest for about an hour. Rachel and Carson arrived shortly after it left.
Interesting.
Hope it doesn’t hang around the nest during incubation
The owl probably knows he must leave. Glenn, do you know if it will find a mate? Rachel n Carson will kick him out 😄 claim their homestead. The nest appears to be in good shape. It is nice to be back for another year.
Great Horned Owls mate early in the year, January or February, so this owl does not seem to be nesting here, just using the nest as a perch to enjoy a meal or maybe prepare its prey for its own nest nearby. It has never posed a direct threat to the ospreys in past years and I hope that trend continues.
The Happy Couple
Osprey in the nest!
Not sure if anyone noticed but the Great Horned Owl was on the nest last night around 23:55 for several minutes. The night before that Rachel (I believe) was on the nest perch most of night. I sure hope this transition goes well!
Didn’t see any owl last night