Osprey Live Stream, Stockton, Missouri
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Liberty Utilities Co. and Mid Central Contractors invite you to join us in celebrating the return of osprey to Stockton Lake. Enjoy this brief peek into the lives of this osprey family! But, please be aware, at times, nature can be difficult to watch.
On February 24, 2015, Liberty Utilities Co. moved the osprey nest from one of our transmission towers to this newly built nesting box. The pair had a nest burn in the previous summer after coming in contact with an energized electric line. The fire also did damage to the transmission tower and line, interrupting electric service. This new home for the pair of osprey is meant to be a safe nesting alternative while also increasing service reliability for Liberty Utilities customers. Click here to view photos of the installation of the nesting platform.
Above is a live stream of the nesting box. The box is approximately 4-feet by 4-feet and approximately 70-feet high. Although the power lines are visible in the background, the nesting box is approximately 50 feet away from the power lines. This nest also has night vision provided by infrared light illumination. Birds and humans cannot see infrared light, so the osprey are not bothered at night by the infrared light illumination. The cameras are powered by two solar panels. If there are several days in a row of overcast skies, the camera may run out of battery backup. But, once the sun returns, the camera will be operational again.
Note to viewer: Images presented on this live stream are the property of the Liberty Utilities Co. and may be used for educational and non-commercial purposes. Images may not be sold.
About Ospreys
Osprey are uncommon statewide, most are spring and fall migrants but a few nest here. Ospreys are up to 24 inches long, with a 5- to 6-foot wingspan. They are midway between eagle size and large hawk size.
They eat almost exclusively fish they have caught, including carp, catfish, perch, shad and suckers. Also called “fish hawks” or “fish eagles,” osprey usually fly back and forth over—and 50 to 200 feet above—the water while searching for fish. When an osprey spies a fish, it hovers a moment before diving and plunging into the water feet first. Often it will completely submerge except for the wings.
Osprey reach maturity at age 3 or 4 and usually nest near water on a tall structure, such as a tree or rocky bluff. Like bald eagles, they generally mate for life. Nests are built of sticks and miscellaneous other materials. Two to four eggs are produced and hatch in about 5 weeks. The chicks fledge after about 9 weeks. Both parents care for the young. Osprey live about 7-10 years but have been known to live for 25.
(Source: Missouri Department of Conservation)
For more information about osprey, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation website here.
Comments 1,941
<3 <3 <3
Both parents on nest. Three little ones all lined up next to each other with their little striped backs in a row. Being fed fish and looking so cute. Awaiting last egg to hatch and chick to join siblings.
7:10 Dad is helping with the feeding. Still one egg and 3 chicks.
At 6:20am Dad brought a fish. When Mom got up there was still one egg. It is day 35 for the 4th egg, so it could hatch at any time.
Mom is feeding the chicks, but standing on the near side and blocking the view.
Still three babies and dad trying to figure out what to do
with the giant forked stick he brought home…..
Dad has brought a PC of long green/brown grass. Both trying to position. I believe I still saw one egg.
&squirmy babies
Mom was just feeding 3…..I think an old shell is layered over an
end of the last egg……I wonder if it will hatch today??
Nice big fish btw….good job, daddy!!
3 babies at 8am this morning and mom feeding the oldest so far.
All 3 awake and getting fed now.
Sorry, wrong time. Should have been 7am.
Mom feeding two babies. Two eggs still there. Dad on nest also.
Still 2 babies at 3:25pm
4:17pm…Still 2 babies and leftover fish on the nest after a feeding.
There is another PC of greenery. Do we have another baby?
I just can’t seem to get mom to move when I’m watching today!
Dad brought a very big fish!
Mom busy feeding 2. Dad on nest also. I only saw one egg but Mom was sort of in the way.
Dad just brought a beautiful new green bouquet……
I think I saw a second one moving also…..it is difficult to tell ….
Maybe dad is announcing the hatches with his gifts….
greenery instead of cigars….
Mom and Dad both in nest. Mom is feeding chick #1 and I am pretty sure that I just saw #2 just came out of the egg. A little hard to see, but I did see movement.
7:38am….I see 2 chicks now with a feeding going on.
At 6:47am ….. looks like still one chick and 3 eggs.
Gail, I did not know babies chirped in shell & that Mom could hear them. Maybe that is her signal she needs to get ready cause I’m coming out.❤️
Mary, on some of the owl cams you can hear the babies in the eggs….
probably because the mic is close in the box…..
Dad has brought Mom a fresh fish. She was busy feeding herself. Dad was on nest as a guard. I could only see
One baby. However, there were four eggs also. One must be a broken shell, but from view it looked like others.
I use my IPad so am able to zoom in and out. Sometimes when it freezes I can zoom in or out & it releases.
Doesn’t always work.
Carol, and anyone wondering about the zooming on the cam…..
they are having trouble with it and are working on it….
so, hopefully they can get the problem fixed……
Thanks Gail.
Yay! Wishing the osprey family another successful growing season!
We have one baby
Something is flying around out of our sight and really bothering mom and dad.
Both have been alarming for several minutes.
Baby fed, mom now having her breakfast and dad straightening the house….
morning chores….. haha
About 6:40am, Dad brought a fish and Mom is feeding the new chick.
Hooray!!! So, yesterday mom may have just been watching the pip activity when
she was so restless and checking on it often.
Did you know that the chicks chirp in the egg and mom hears them?
I think that is so neat!!
I answered your cam question below……
I saw a chick at 5:58am this morning. There was no mistaking it as I saw the stripe on it’s back.
I saw movement, also. Day 38 for the 1st egg, so right on time for a hatch.
Is there anything I can do from my end to help with the almost constant freezing/buffering of the video stream?
At 7:45pm the eggs were visible and as near as I could tell it looked like we still have 4 eggs. I didn’t notice any discarded shells and no movement. It is difficult to see and be 100% sure with the freezing, buffering and cam not zoomed in. I am almost certain no hatch yet, though. It would be helpful if the cam was zoomed a bit.
I have rewound and taken several photos and zoomed and studied and I still cannot tell for sure if we have a hatch or if that is still the egg with something possibly laying across it…
I’m tending to agree with you, Carol, about still having 4 eggs…….
time will tell, I guess!!
It did look like 4 eggs to me, Gail. I stared at them for awhile and didn’t see any movement. Do they ever zoom the cam?
Last year they zoomed the cam in closer to the nest when things were happening
in the nest, but I don’t remember exactly when. Someone with connections is going
to ask about it for us.
I think we have a hatch!!
…trying to get a better look, but I have to leave for a bit….
Mom just got up and adjusted all four eggs and then settled back down on them. In the distance, Dad was seen flying and heading in the direction of the nest and dropped off a big piece of bark to add with the rest of the sticks!
Maybe not yet. Mom was up & I had a good view of eggs
I have checked nest several times this afternoon. I do think we might have baby Osprey. Mom has been up & down a lot. She has done a lot of adjusting. It is so difficult to determine.
yes very sure we have a hatch!!
Will the cam be zoomed in soon for a closer view of hatches and babies?
9:36 Dad brings mom a late mother’s day bouquet…….
From 11-12:00 mom has been up several times
looking at the eggs…..I wonder if we have a pip??
Mom on eggs. Dad on nest arranging material. Yes, time is close.
Mom kept moving the big flat pieces of wood around, then bit and pulled at the tube thing a while. All 4 eggs were visible…should be hatching soon!
I pray for your safety tonight. Big storms brewing. And for rest of week too.
Good luck Osprey family and all others in area.
Day 36 for egg #1 today. Most 1st eggs hatch on day 38, especially if there is delayed incubation. It will be interesting to see if all four eggs hatch again this year.
Mom standing over four eggs adjusting them. Then back down over them. Dad on utility pole.
I have similar timing to Sharon…..if incubation is 34-40 days…..
34 days from the first egg laid is today..May 11…
34 days from the last egg laid is May 20th…
Besides the days, it depends on when mom decided she was
into full incubation…..
Beautiful evening for our ospreys. Dad preening on the perch. Mom quietly settled on the nest.
Mom on nest. I did see two on the utility pole on right. One on higher part & one on lower part.
They seemed at ease and Mom was not alarmed.
According to my notes we should start to watch for the fist baby to hatch somewhere around the 16th thru the 19th. That is when it really starts to get interesting.
stay safe tonight and during this stormy time this week Osprey family, as well as others in the area.
Looks like Dad is on watch to the right. Nice day for our pair.
Full moon (pink moon) is casting shadows from the perch and power lines tonight. Bet it is a beautiful, peaceful night at the lake. Momma Osprey is sleeping.
Just wanted to check in this morning and the camera seems to be down. Will check again later on.
We’re up and running. Nice morning for the bird family. Just had a changing of the guards and all 4 eggs are lookin good.
Good view of the eggs on time-lapse at 8:00 this morning. Turkeys passing thru twice today so far. Wet day for momma.
Haven’t seen much of Mr Osprey today. Is he just off waiting for the hatching to occur?
Thanks Becky for your response. I was beginning to think there was a problem with my connection.
Mom is getting wet today, but keeping eggs warm & dry.
I’m still around too, just using this incubation time to get caught up on some things!
Both on nest Dad flew off. Mom standing. 4 very pretty eggs. Mom back on nest.
Just wondering. Has no one been writing. I haven’t seen messages for 3 days.
Still here. Checking in several times a day. 🙂 Sort of in a holding pattern watching eggs until something changes.