Ask Us Anything: Osprey Live Cam
2022 season
Have a question about Osprey or something you saw on the Explore.org Osprey Live Cam?
Submit your question here:
Once a week, we'll go through submitted questions and post answers on the cam chat board, so check back for answers! We'll also post them here so we can all learn together about these amazing birds!
Egg-laying
Question: It’s May 24, and Charlotte hasn’t laid any eggs yet. Is it too late in the season for them to nest?
Answer:
According to a study cited in Birds of the World, for British Columbia (which is north and west of us) the usual laying dates are early to late May, with most happening in early May. Most of the studies that I could find that looked at this were on the East Coast, and there seem to be only a few on West-coast birds. As with other raptors, Osprey at lower latitudes (in the South) will start to breed earlier than those further north. So, I don't think we're quite out of the window yet, but closing in. We’ve been seeing Charlotte and Charlie mating a number of times on the cam, so seems like there’s a chance… but we’ll have to keep watching and see.
Some other links with good information about Osprey breeding:
AvianReport.com – The Osprey Breeding webpage has a nice chart that shows dates for egg-laying/breeding for different regions of the U.S. Summarizes lots of good information on other aspects of breeding as well.
Ospreys 101: Nesting, Mating, and Chicks - Dunrovin ranch is a few hours south of Charlo in the Bitterroot Valley, and also has an Osprey cam. This post was written in 2019. About half-way through the post there is a great Osprey Growth Chart, which will come in handy if Charlotte and Charlie lay any eggs this year…
General Cam Questions
Question: If I remember correctly a new nest platform for ospreys was built a few years ago away from the one occupied by geese. Is there a chance for a camera in the new place?
Answer:
Yes! That camera is up and running now! There are two live cams were you can (potentially) view the Charlo osprey: Osprey Nest – Charlo Montana
As of April 14, 2022, one of our Osprey has returned and has been seen on the cam at the platform (we think it was maybe Charlie, the male).
This Osprey platform is where Charlotte and Charlie nested in 2021. It is currently occupied by nesting Canada Geese, who as of April 14, 2021, have somewhere around 9 or 10 eggs in the nest. Since they have eggs already, the Osprey probably won’t be able to evict them and we’re hoping this means the Osprey will use the “Osprey Nest- Charlo Montana” cam platform. Once the geese hatch, they’ll leave the platform and the Osprey will probably use this as a place to hang out when they need a rest away from their chicks.
