Woolwich Osprey Cam Blog

Ospreys return to nest!

2011-04-20T14:36:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone,

Spring has returned (kind of!) and we are fortunate to have been able to watch the ospreys rebuild a nest platform that was seriously damaged over the winter. Their work to bring in sticks and grasses culminated with the female laying an egg in the nest bowl earlier this week. The egg was laid between 3:30 pm on Sunday and 10:30 am on Tuesday morning. We will have to keep a close watch for additional eggs over the next few days. Good luck to the ospreys as they work to keep the egg protected from the cool damp weather.

Thanks for all the posts. For more frequent details and to catch up with what has happened at the nest please visit BRI's online community.

Have a great day!

Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

Ospreycam is back!

2010-06-05T18:54:00.002-04:00

Hi All,
Just a quick note the webcam is back up and streaming live. The adults have lost the smallest of the chicks--three chicks rarely survive to fledging (of course anything is possible). In fact, some researchers consider the third egg like a type of insurance policy against one of the eggs not hatching. So, the good news is that there are two healthy osprey chicks for you to check up on.
I'll post again soon. Just a quick update. Enjoy!
All the Best,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Intitute

First osprey egg hatches! Confirmed on May 26, 2010

2010-05-27T15:46:00.002-04:00

Hi All,

Yes, this is fantastic news! The first chick hatched yesterday and awaits siblings. Check out he live webcam at http://www.briloon.org/watching-wildlife/osprey-cam.php for a first hand look!

More to come soon.

Cheers,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

Watch out for hatching osprey eggs!

2010-05-19T13:15:00.002-04:00

Hi All,
We are at about 30 days of incubation so keep a close eye on these ospreys as eggs could hatch soon! So far these birds have been very attentive to the their incubation duties! Hopefully we will catch a glimpse of eggs soon.
All the Best,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

Two eggs!

2010-04-22T16:07:00.002-04:00

These Ospreys have set to work. By my count the ospreys have required only eleven days from their arrival on site (4/7) to laying their first egg (4/18). Some may agree that this is remarkable pace and might be yet another indicator of the early spring we appear to be having in Maine. Ospreys typically incubate eggs for about 35 days. Until then you can expect these birds to defend their eggs and nest territory from scavengers such as gulls, crows, and even eagles! Watching these active fish eaters is a lot of fun. Enjoy!

All the Best,

Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

Ospreys are back!

2010-04-08T14:12:00.003-04:00

Hi All,
Bird reports around the state are buzzing about the return of ospreys to Maine! A pair began visiting the webcam nest on April 4, 2010--Easter Sunday! So far they have been improving the nest and mating. These are great signals indicating their intentions to nest and these birds atre right on track! I'll keep you posted but in the meantime check in on the ospreys at www.briloon.org!

All the Best,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

Opreycam is live in 2010!

2010-03-12T15:25:00.002-05:00

Hi All,
We are back up and awaiting ospreys in 2010! There was a report of an osprey sighting in southern Maine earlier this week. Hopefully, a pair will return to this location.
All the Best,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

Stream stopped. Failed nesting this year!

2009-07-08T14:24:00.000-04:00

Hi All, very sorry for the delayed response on the forum...some miscommunication on our end and I was away for a few days.

Yes, we have stopped the stream of this cam due to limited bandwidth capacity and the fact that the ospreys have failed in their nesting attempt. At this late date in the year it is extremely unlikely that these birds will renest. This, despite observations of birds using the nest and even mating attempts.

As for the camera, it is still installed and we hope that ospreys continue to use it successfully in the future. We are also looking into the possiblity of an additional Ospreycam with audio. Unfortunately, this site doe not present a good chance for audio due to ambient background noise and nearby activity.

All the Best,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

Chick Death!

2009-06-15T09:52:00.002-04:00

Hi All, I am very sorry to report that the chick that hatched seems to have died. We await a second hatch any day and time is running out at the egg was laid 41 days ago! It is important to recognize just how delicate young birds are following hatching. With the inability to thermoregulate cool, wet weather can be the critical problem for survival at an early age. That is just what this chick faced as Maine has experienced about ten days of rain! Have a wonderful day and lets hope the second egg hatches!
All the Best,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

Ospreys are incubating!

2009-05-21T15:37:00.003-04:00

Hi all,

It is wonderful to see this pair incubating two eggs! Ospreys typically lay between 1-4 eggs per clutch. You may notice that the male and female birds share time incubating. Based on an 'average' 38-39 day incubation period we anticipate a hatch around June 5th but we should keep a close eye on the nest in the days before then as we might expect a hatch as early as June 1st! Thank you for your many posts and please join us at our online community at www.briloon.ning.com where you can view photos and videos and catch up on all of BRI's nests.

Have a great day!
Best,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

Ospreys lay and egg April 27, 2009

2009-04-28T18:14:00.002-04:00

Great news, after a very warm weekend the Ospreys have laid an egg. Check Out Wing's video blog at to learn more about Ospreys and what we might expect!
Have a great day.
All the Best,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

May 17 Update

2008-05-17T10:16:00.003-04:00

Well there is some good news, I suppose, which is that we put in a piece of equipment that took away the interference we were getting--the wavy lines. But the bad news is that it would appear that the birds will not nest this year. I am working on another osprey cam on a nest where the birds are nesting. If we are lucky we may get that online next week.

Osprey around the coast of Maine are on nest, and if the birds do not nest within the next week or so then I think it is fair to say that they will not nest this year. I think this is a great site for this cam and we owe a huge thanks to the Taste of Maine Restaurant and hopefully the birds will nest next year!

Wing Goodale

BioDiversity Research Institute

Cam Now Live

2008-05-08T09:59:00.003-04:00

Greetings!

This my first post on our new osprey cam blog. The camera is located at the Taste of Maine Restaurant in Woolwich, Maine. If you are passing by on route one stop by and see the birds on a 42 inch plasma TV, have a bite to eat, and see the nest in person. This cam has no sound (we hope add sound next year), but the nest can been watched at night. At the moment there is a little interference in the image which we hope to fix in the next day or so.

Kids in the Nest generously provided us with the equipment for this camera. A huge thank you to them!

Last year the birds nested and hatched out one chick. Unfortunately the females was injured last year and taken with her chick to Chewonki to be rehabilitated. They were both successfully released. This year both the male and female are back and have been seen regularly at the nest site. Although the disruption last year can lead birds to take a year off or cause a mate switch, there still is a very good opportunity for the birds to nest.

Please comment on if you see the birds.

Wing Goodale

BioDiversity Research Institute