The cam is offline because we have an equipment issue. We're waiting for a new part to arrive.
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.
Nest Updates:
July 22, 2024: Our two chicks have officially fledged! If you'd like to see videos of the events, be sure to check out our YouTube channel playlist.
June 4, 2024: Here is a video showing two healthy-looking chicks in the nest.
May 29, 2024: At this stage, we think there might be two chicks in the nest, but we cannot see their heads just yet.
April 16, 2024: The female is sitting down in the nest and appears to be incubating at least one egg. We hope to see hatching around the week of May 20.
March 20, 2024: Our osprey pair has returned from migration.
March 15, 2024: We've pointed the cam at the nest again so we can see the ospreys' arrival after their return from South America.
September 5, 2023: It looks like the osprey family has possibly left the nest for the season, so we've turned the cam tour on so you can see other wildlife around the cam nest.
July 25, 2023: Like last year, a visiting chick has been making appearances at the nest. We don't know where the chick came from, but it's been hanging around for meals. See a video of the chick arriving at meal time.
July 21, 2023: All the chicks have now fledged. We saw the youngest fledge yesterday and for a brief time the nest was empty. Watch a video of the last chick fledging.
July 15, 2023: The first chick fledged this morning. Watch a video of the action.
July 6, 2023: We posted a 3-month Highlights Video reviewing the season so far.
June 8, 2023: Our three chicks are doing well and the male osprey is bringing in a good amount of fish. See a video of the three chicks feeding.
June 1, 2023: A third chick has hatched. See our YouTube channel for a video of the three chicks feeding. You can also visit our Facebook page for nest updates.
May 30, 2023: A second chick has hatched.
May 28, 2023: A chick hatched on May 28. We have a video of the chick feeding on our YouTube channel.
April 19, 2023: The female osprey began sitting deep in the nest on April 16, so we believe she has at least one egg. We hope to see hatching start around mid-May. Ospreys normally have 1-3 eggs that are laid about 3 days apart.
March 21, 2023: We had two ospreys appear on the River Cam today. We hope this is our returning couple. See our video on YouTube.
September 12, 2022: The osprey family appears to have left on migration. Thanks for watching our cam this season and remember that you can see our cam video diaries on our YouTube channel. We'll keep the cam on through the winter to watch the waterfowl. The ospreys should return in late March.
August 15, 2022: We believe our mother osprey left on migration not long after the chicks fledged on July 30. See our cam video diary for more information.
August 5, 2022: Jessica Redmond won our 2022 Chick-naming Contest with her winning entries of Minty and Moses - the two nicknames of Harriet Tubman, who helped conduct on the Underground Railroad in the Blackwater NWR area and freed many slaves.
July 27, 2022: Both the resident chicks successfully fledged Saturday morning. We have a visitor chick on the cam from another nest. It's been hanging around since our resident parents are feeding it. They may have to adopt it!
July 13, 2022: Our two chicks are doing well. See our video diary playlist for updates.
June 24, 2022: We are no longer seeing our third osprey chick, so it's possible it didn't make it.
June 16, 2022: See our first weekly video diary on the nest.
June 13, 2022: We have three chicks! See our video.
June 11, 2022: We have two chicks! See our video.
June 2, 2022: Today the female was seen eating at the nest and lowering food down to something in the nest cup, so it appears we have a hatch. We hope to get a look at the chick soon.
April 25, 2022: We believe the female laid an egg on the evening of April 24. We hope to see hatching in early June.
March 24, 2022: Our male osprey returned to the nest on March 23 and our female returned on March 24. They immediately set about repairing the nest and engaging in mating sessions. We hope to see them lay eggs in April. A video of their return can be seen on our YouTube channel.
June 21, 2021: The chick did not make it. After less than 24 hours, we stopped seeing movement in the nest cup, and while the parents had food, they did not seem to be feeding a chick in the nest, so it appears the chick didn't make it. Based on the late date, we don't expect any other eggs to hatch, assuming they laid more than one. The parents will likely hang around the nest and defend it this summer and then migrate south in late August. We'll zoom the camera out to allow folks to watch the many creatures flying and swimming by the cam. We've seen otters, muskrats, belted kingfishers, eagles, turtles, a pelican, and other animals since the cam went live.
June 15, 2021: One chick hatched in the afternoon on June 16. We're waiting to get a good look at it. Also keeping an eye out for any other chicks in the nest.
May 6, 2021: The female osprey appeared to lay an egg on the afternoon of May 5 and they have been incubating it ever since. Based on this timing, we would expect hatching to occur the week of June 7. Ospreys normally lay 1-3 eggs about 3 days apart. Last year this nest fledged 2 chicks. You can see a video of the parents incubating on our YouTube channel.
The River Osprey Cam is the newest camera project of the Friends of Blackwater. The pair returned in late March, and we've seen them bringing in nesting material and fish to the nest. We've also seen them bonding on the nest. We hope to have eggs in April, and we look forward to seeing chick action this spring. You can see videos from this cam on our YouTube channel.
If you're interested in seeing more bird life at the Refuge, be sure to check out our Waterfowl Cam, Eagle Cam, and original Osprey Cam (platform nest).
If you enjoy the cam projects, please consider supporting the Friends of Blackwater. You can make a one-time donation or become a member for as little as $15. We're an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that provides funding and labor support for the Refuge.
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 group for their support: HDOnTap.