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Home » Osmp » Live Boulder Osprey Cam

Live Boulder Osprey Cam

Updates:

The City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks osprey camera is now streaming for the 2019 nesting season! Final adjustments are still being made to the camera. Viewers may see streaming suspended for short periods over the next couple of days. We are working diligently to repair and replace some of the cameras power infrastructure to help increase the systems resiliency. We thank you for being patient. 

2018 Nest Timeline:

March 15: Camera live feed resumed for 2018 nesting season.
March 23:  Nonresident female osprey seen at nest.
March 25:  Male osprey arrived at nest.
March 28:  Female osprey arrived at nest.
April 19:  Egg No. 1 laid. 
May 31:  Chick hatched.
July 25:  Chick Fledged 
 

Viewing Tips:

The camera is solar powered and completely “off the grid”. Prolonged periods of inclement weather may cause temporary outages. If an outage occurs, please be patient and we will restore the live stream as quickly as possible. 

Background Information:

This video system was initially set up by Parks and Recreation staff at the Boulder reservoir for monitoring Osprey. However, for the past several years Canada Geese have taken the nest over from Osprey at that site. In spring 2016, OSMP partnered with Parks and Recreation to upgrade some of the camera components and move the system to a more dependable Osprey nest. In 2017 OSMP staff installed a new HD camera for a clearer picture. With the help of other city departments, including Information Technology and Utilities, we now have the camera streaming live! 

OSMP wildlife staff have been monitoring the Osprey nest since 2011. Since then the nest has been successful every year, fledging a total of 14 young! 

When viewing the Osprey, the male and female can be identified by their different markings. The female Osprey has a “bib” of dark feathers on her chest, whereas the male has an almost completely white chest.

Timeline:

Monitoring of this Osprey nest in past years has indicated:

  • March 20 - April 10: Adult Osprey return to the nest
  • April 21 - May 9: Eggs laid and incubation begins
  • June 9 - June 24: Eggs hatch
    • Osprey eggs hatch in 36-42 days after being laid
  • Aug. 5 - Aug. 23: Young fledge
    • Fledging occurs 50-55 days after hatching 

Video Highlights:

Highlights from 2018 season.

Highlights from 2017 season.