This osprey cam features “Tom & Audrey” who nest each year at the home of “The Crazy Osprey Family” on Kent Island off Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The Crazy Osprey Family set up their first cam nearly 20 years ago and used it as an educational resource for their daughter’s school. In 2013, The Crazy Osprey Family started partnering with Chesapeake Conservancy and in 2018, explore.org joined the effort and installed a new more sophisticated camera. Tom and Audrey typically return to their nest (and the webcam spotlight) in mid-March.

Found on every continent except Antarctica, osprey (Pandion haliaetus) are one of the Chesapeake’s most amazing birds for a number of reasons. They migrate thousands of miles each year to and from Central and South America, mate for life, and return to the same spot year after year, despite spending the winter apart from each other.

After an almost 90% decline in population from 1950-1970, osprey populations have rebounded due in large part to conservation efforts and the banning of DDT. Osprey can be a valuable indicator species for monitoring the long-term health of the Chesapeake Bay because their diet consists almost entirely of fish and they are sensitive to many environmental contaminants. To make sure these magnificent Bay residents continue to thrive, we are working to ensure that river corridors remain protected and that the Chesapeake Bay can support abundant fish populations. In 2024, the Center for Conservation Biology at William & Mary published an alarming study that indicates declining menhaden, a primary food source for osprey, is affecting the osprey population in the Chesapeake Bay.

Osprey are hawks that are distinguished by the ‘M’ shape of their wings and the dark brown line that stretches from the eye across the side of the face. Adults are brown on the back and have white chests, with a distinctive dark patch near the bend of the wing. Males are also smaller than female osprey.

An osprey’s diet consists of almost exclusively live fish. The osprey is able to dive into the water from great heights, surprising fish with their sharp talons. The osprey’s opposable toes and barbed footpads allow it to hold onto its catch as it returns to the nest.

Adult ospreys do not have many predators, although great horned owls and bald eagles have been known to sometimes kill osprey chicks and adults. The primary predator is the raccoon, who will steal and eat osprey eggs found in nests.

Osprey are widespread, found on every continent except for Antarctica. They live close to bodies of water with an abundant source of fish, such assalt marshes, rivers, ponds, or estuaries. Osprey nest in both manmade and natural elevated structures near water, including dead trees, light towers, and manmade platforms. Most nests are built of sticks and lined with additional natural materials, and the elevation helps protect against raccoons.

Osprey spend the warm spring and summer months in North America and travel south for winter. They may travel more than 160,000 miles during their lifetime migrating to South and Central America for the winter.

Osprey eggs do not hatch all at once; chicks can hatch up to 5 days apart. The female osprey lays between 2-5 eggs each year in the spring. The female does most of the incubating, while the male brings her food. When the chicks hatch, they rely on their parents to bring food. The separation in hatch time can be a disadvantage for the younger chicks when food is scarce, since older chicks can dominate when parents bring the fish back to the nest. After only 5-6 weeks, the young osprey are ready to fly, spending the next few months learning to hunt and survive before leaving their parents’ nest.