WARNING: This camera displays a live view from a wild osprey nest at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland. The cam will display raw, unfiltered nature that might include wildlife interactions and weather calamities that we cannot control. We have a no-intervention policy, as we are just observers.
User Tip: If the wind sound is too loud, you can mute the speaker on the video player.
* See Osprey Cam videos on our YouTube channel! *
Nest Updates:
June 13, 2024: Our newbie parents looked very confused when the chicks hatched. The mother was not feeding them enough or shading them from the hot sun, like an experienced mother would do. In the end, we believe neither of the two chicks has survived and we're hoping the 3rd egg doesn't hatch at this stage. This sometimes happens with new osprey parents.
June 11, 2024: The second egg hatched but our new parents are struggling with their duties. We're not sure if the chicks will make it.
June 8, 2024: We have our first chick on the cam! See the female osprey helping to right the chick after it got rolled on its back.
May 3, 2024: The 3rd egg was laid. This was the final egg. We should see hatching around the first week of June.
April 30, 2024: The 2nd egg was laid.
April 27, 2024: The 1st egg was laid on the cam platform - watch a video of the egg laying. Hatching should occur around the week of June 3.
April 9, 2024: We have an osprey couple bringing in sticks to the nest. Keeping our fingers crossed they will produce eggs there.
May 18, 2023: The ospreys did not use the nest this spring, but we'll keep the cam on to observe the bald eagles and other birds that visit the nest.
October 5, 2022: The ospreys have migrated for the winter and will return next March. We'll leave the cam online as bald eagles will likely visit the platform throughout the winter, as well as owls and herons.
June 24, 2022: The osprey couple claimed the platform and built a nest, but they didn't produce any eggs. They're still around, but now the eagles are occasionally visiting the platform, too.
April 10, 2022: We have a new osprey couple visiting the nest. They've brought in sticks and eaten on the nest, so we're hoping things will continue to go well and they'll make the nest their own.
April 30, 2021: No ospreys nesting here this year, but we'll leave the cam online since bald eagles, herons, owls, and other birds sometimes visit the platform.
July 20, 2020: We did not have an osprey couple nesting at the platform this year. We continue to see a male osprey defending the nest from other ospreys, which makes it hard for a couple to claim the nest. We'll keep the cam live because we continue to see other birds using the platform as a perching spot, including the bald eagles.
April 13, 2020: We've seen a male osprey defending the nest on occasion. We're not sure if it's the same male from the previous year, but he seems intent on defending the nest from other ospreys, even though he's not nesting there. We continue to see regular appearances by the eagles, which like to perch on the platform and eat their meals. You can see videos of this action on our YouTube channel and Facebook page.
February 20, 2020: We used a bucket truck to reach the nest and perform some maintenance on the platform box. We also added some sticks to hopefully encouarge an osprey couple to adopt the nest. Ospreys should start returning to the Refuge around St. Patrick's Day.
August 31, 2019: A pair of ospreys did not use the nest in 2019. Based on the video, we believe a male osprey was defending the nest from other ospreys, but he did not nest there. We hope a pair will claim the nest in 2020. Ospreys return to the Refuge starting in March.
March 14, 2018: The Friends of Blackwater have operated a cam from this nest for 17 years and have seen over 45 eggs laid during that time. In 2018, we upgraded to streaming video and audio at the nest. The nest sits on a land-based pole with the nest box about 40 feet in the air. It is located along the Wildlife Drive at the Refuge. In front of the camera (the view you cannot see) is the Blackwater River, where the ospreys like to fish. The water you can see on the camera is an impoundment pond that sits beneath the nest, and Great blue herons will sometimes fish in the pond. When the ospreys migrate for the winter, other birds -- such as bald eagles, herons, and owls -- will perch on this nest, so we will leave the camera on throughout the year.
Copyright Notice: Images/videos presented on this site are the property of the Friends of Blackwater and may be used for educational and non-commercial purposes; they may not be sold. All images/videos must be accompanied with a photo credit (example: Image or Video Courtesy of the Friends of Blackwater NWR).
Acknowledgements: Your memberships and donations to the Friends of Blackwater support this cam. Join or donate to the Friends if you enjoy the cam. The Friends thank the following groups for their support: Maryland Raptor Rescue | HDOnTap | F.L. Travers & Son Electrical Contractors.