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
Hey, The Ospreys made the news last night on Kolr 10. Sure glad to see them back and once again thanks to all that makes this possible.
One sitting on nest 1:04 pm. Looks as if nest will need lots of sprucing up.
Thank you, Marlaine….there have also been articles in Ozarks First and the News Leader….
links thanks to two people on facebook…..Steve and Barbara….
https://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/liberty-utilities-celebrates-return-of-osprey-with-live-stream-video/1864085490?fbclid=IwAR39S6lRC2OranlgmO-9OBOYg3PZNxtfB4uRZzqSZY0iG-ugBAiiLBuEZnY
https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2019/03/20/ospreys-live-camera-back-stockton-lake/3223412002/?fbclid=IwAR0I-2T-ihdDqp7Bmjck62l8cWPJq0LzaCbduYiYYObiWW5gdWLYfD4fmVY
Mom and Dad have been on and off the nest and perch every time I’ve looked in today.
Dad(?) bringing in a few sticks and working on the arrangement.
And then mating! Mom must be impressed! 🙂
Isn’t it wonderful to have them….and the cams!…back?!?!
My time lapse stops at 3-8-2019…..anyone else’s?
My time lapse is working fine, Gail.
Last two nights around 4 AM there has been another bird (vulture?) that roosts on the nest for 2-3 hours until the ospreys show up. He/she will have to find another sleeping arrangement soon.
Thank you for responding, Becky. I wonder why my is being stubborn…..hmmm….
I thought that was probably the vultures still hanging around during the night….
there were a lot of them flying around when I was there the other day….
I just figured it out….I forgot about the date choices on the left side
of the screen…..mine was still set from last season…..duhhh…… LOLOL
Vultures will need to make new arrangements
Mr. and Mrs. back again! Mr. just delivered a fish. And so it begins.
Isn’t it wonderful to have them….and the cams!…back?!?!
Yes, it is! Thanks to all those who make it possible for us to view these remarkable birds once again.
Five or six deer below enjoying the sunset with our happy couple….
Two have continued to be on the nest and perch…..when checking back from editing photos mom has a fish on the perch.
…and another fish! 🙂
…maybe just leftovers….. 😉
2 ospreys on nest at 5:45 pm 3/18/19
Woo-Hoo!!! Thank you to the powers that be!!!
Cameras are up and running. Thanks Mike!
Time lapse at 16:32 today (March 13) shows TWO on the nest. Yay for the return of the ospreys!
Oops, not March 13….March 18
More Apologies, Since the Camera had been down I had not been monitoring the comments very closely. Some of you may be new, some may have emails that have changed. Anyway the amount of SPAM we get for this forum is mind boggling so I have controls set pretty tight. Those that have commented and don’t see your post’s right away please give me some time. I have to approve based on your email. If you have questions or need assistance email me at osprey@midcentralcompanies.com.
Apologies are not necessary. We appreciate this site being secure.
It is amazing and sad how many spammers and people up to no good
try to get on innocent sites. We’ve had the same problem on some of
the Osprey facebook sites.
Sorry Everyone, We’ve had some technical issues and we hope they are resolved at this time. The Osprey are back and while we are not sure exactly when they returned based on the last few years it should have been within the last week or two.
Hub and I took a little Osprey sleuthing drive today…We saw four O’s at one point. One was by the nest w/o the cam…another was on the nest with the cam for a long time. I’m assuming these were the females. We did not see the other two again, but one sat above my head for a bit chirping on a power pole…it was a wonderful sound!!… I couldn’t get a pic because she was directly in the sun. 🙁
After that she went to a tree and stayed there….one was hanging out and eating in this tree or a close one the last time we were there…..
How exciting to see and hear them again!!! Sure hope the cams are back soon!!
Thanks for all the updates as inquiry, Gail!
Greg S. Greater Ozarks Audubon
Greg….we have a facebook page for this site if you are interested…..We post pics and updates there too….
This link might work… https://www.facebook.com/groups/271294633347597/
If not, the name is Stockton Mo Ospreys (for doing a search)…..
I apologize if my wording was not clear in my post about the Osprey sightings above….
The two that were not right at the nests were flying above the nest area and went toward the lake over the rise….
I forgot the facebook page is a “closed group” for security……I am not sure how you would access it unless you are “friends” with a member, but you might be able to send a request…..(?)
Great to hear! Thanks for sleuthing, Gail 🙂
This is the latest about the cams from a person in the know…Thanks to him for responding!
“The batteries need to be replaced. They’re not holding a charge like they should and with the cloudy weather they’re draining faster. The rain has made it hard to access for the replacement. Hopefully they can get in there next week but it should be back up when we get some sun”
Thanks for that info Gail.
Good to know. Thanks for the update!
I am looking back at my notes from last year……a female that I thought was Mom was here March 9, “others” March 16, and a definite pair March 19.
Those dates don’t match up well with what I see on the time lapse, but they do make more sense about the egg laying times……hmmmm……
Is the cam down for everyone? Maybe lack of sun for the solar power? Hope it is back soon!!
Yes, that is what I thought, too.
It will not be long before the ole crowd is all here!!! So happy to see the cam back up and going. I have missed checking it every morning and reading everybody’s comments. Looking forward to a new year with the Osprey family. Welcome back to ALL!!
Too bad they didn’t get those two white rods out of the nest.
I agree!
it would have destroyed the nest. At the end of the year they are very brittle.
My first check in. Hopefully soon activity will begin.
Our weather here is finally turning for the better! I think we will see them within a week!
Just looking at last year’s comments. Mike said an osprey showed up March 10, 2017 and Kris saw one on the nest March 9, 2018. Countin’ down the days and hoping for another successful year for the osprey family.
Does anyone know when the cam will be back on? It was on in late January, and since then nothing. Sorry, I’m getting very excited as I have watched the cam for the last three years and enjoy it so very much. Not sure if it is Empire or now Liberty, but thank you to whoever maintains the cam for all of us to enjoy!
Just checking in from time to time to see if the cam is on yet…….Not yet! Anticipa-a-tion….. 😉
Okay, don’t ask me why I was checking out the nest on the last day of January. I guess I got to thinking about and hoping for the ospreys to return in March. I looked at the time-lapse and around 2:00-3:00 pm there were 4 birds coming and going, so I guess the nest is still being used for a resting place and a look-out. 🙂
There are currently Black Vultures sitting on the Osprey platform! They’re smaller than Turkey Vultures, with shorter tails, light gray legs, and dark gray heads. It’s a great place to see Bald Eagles (both immature and matures) when they take a break to survey their surroundings.
I have checked nest a couple times today. Appears one Osprey on perch. Is that possible. I thought they were all gone. Haven’t seen any turkey buzzards for awhile.
I checked the time-lapse feature and saw him too! He was on the perch for a long time preening his feathers in a high wind. I hope he has sailed for warmer climates by now.
Probably a late migrator passing through…. I heard of a few that left pretty late from the north…..
Just returned from the lake. The birds put on a totally unexpected, but awesome show for us again. We were out looking for any remaining ospreys. Didn’t see any yesterday, but today we watched an eagle repeatedly swoop down over a flock of about 15 small black ducks that were out in the middle of the lake. The eagle was determined to snatch up a duck, but every time the eagle came close, all of the ducks “ducked” under the water. When the eagle would fly up, all of the ducks popped their heads back up above the surface until the eagle swooped down again and then they would all disappear under the water. It happened over and over and over again. Finally the eagle flew off with nothing.
Then we came around a cove and spotted an osprey perched up high in a dead tree. It was the only one we saw after checking out four places where we have seen them before. There very well could be a few others still here, but we only saw the one.
And then we got another show not too far from the osprey. An eagle was standing by the shore eating what were probably the remains of a fish. Not much left of whatever it was. The eagle flew up to the trees and landed on a limb, only to have five angry crows squawking at it. The crows finally flew off and then a turkey vulture flew down to the shore and began eating the remains that the eagle had left. The eagle didn’t do anything about the vulture so I am assuming it had its fill already. My goodness, so much goes on in nature that we don’t even know about unless we see it.
Wow! Now that’s exciting. Never a dull moment on Stockton Lake. Thanks for sharing Becky.
So glad I checked in at this late date and saw your report. Wonderful observations. Thank you!
Hopefully those white tubes can be removed before next year . I don’t know why they bug me so much,but they do.
I think they bug the Osprey’s too. Occasionally you will see them pulling on the tubes like they are trying to remove them. Not sure what they were supposed to be for.
Five big birds on nest. Two looked solid color feathers & three had light color tips on their wing feathers. Didn’t
See any with red heads,?????
The white tubes are transmission lines. The nest platform was erected by Empire District Electric Coop, to both protect the Ospreys and ensure uninterrupted power.
What you saw were the two darker adults and three juvenile Ospreys, which successfully fledged summer 2018!
They could have been juvenile turkey buzzards, whose heads haven’t turn red yet.
about 8:45 am 10/4, you have a leucistic vulture on the nest–white head and back of neck
Back to the lake this weekend with boat and binoculars. Not as much osprey activity as last weekend, so maybe some are leaving. We saw one near the cove quite a bit north of the camera nest. It made 4 dives while we sat there with our anchor dropped. No fish caught though. North of that site quite a ways we saw 2 eagles soaring and searching.
There is an eagle nest we have watched for the last 3-4 years. The first year we noticed it, there were eaglets in it and we continued to check it out when at the lake. Last year and this year it didn’t seem to be in use. We went to look at it yesterday and, ironically, there was in osprey sitting on a bare branch right next to the nest. So, only 2 ospreys sighted this weekend. Very well might have been more back up in the trees, but they will be heading south before long.
Thanks, Becky, for another update. Looks like winter is well on the way with your sightings reduced from nine a week ago to two this weekend. Will miss our Os and hope for their safe return next spring.
Turkey vultures on perch, on nest & several on utility pole to right of nest. Seems they have taken over
The area.
Two turkey buzzards on perch, two on nest, & one flew from utility pole right of nest to the nest.
Heavy fog this morning. Cannot even see the lake. The poor osprey nest is definitely not the same. Dang old vultures have pooped all over it and the perch. The osprey’s are neat and tidy birds.
5 vultures sitting on the nest. What a crowd!!
Two turkey buzzards on perch side by side.
I know there has not been much, if any, osprey activity at the nest (only crows and vultures),but rest assured the ospreys are doing well at Stockton Lake. We just spent the weekend there with our boat and binoculars and I kept count of what we were seeing. We had a total of 13 ospreys sightings and I am certain there were at least 9 different ospreys based on the locations we found them at. They are the same coves and electric poles where we have seem them for the last 3 years. These other locations are quite a bit west and north of the camera nest. Four of the osprey were within approx 1/4 mile of the camera nest and we saw them at the same time, so I am sure there were 4.
We witnessed 4 dives for fish with 2 of them successful.
The most amazing thing happened as we were about to leave the lake. We were at the location quite a bit west of the camera nest. We saw an osprey dive and come up with a fish. An eagle appeared and flew after the osprey, trying to get it to drop the fish, I suppose. They flew overhead, around and around, the eagle chasing the osprey. The osprey was able to fly up and away and then circle back where it had come from. The eagle tried to follow, but the osprey was putting distance between them and finally the eagle flew off to the south. Unbelievable!!!!! What a show they put on for us.
Becky, thank you for your beautiful story of seeing the ospreys & the eagle/Osprey entertainment.
I do miss seeing them on nest. However, will look forward to seeing them nest year.
WOW………..what a story. Wish we lived closer so that we could experience them first hand as well. Thank you so much for the update. It is good to know that they are all doing well. I too am looking forward to watching again next year. Take care to all of my Osprey friends, people and birds alike. And until next time……….have a wonderful year.
So glad I checked in this morning and saw your update. What a remarkable sighting! Thank you for telling us about it.
Has anyone seen the ospreys. I have only seen two turkey buzzards couple nights ago.
Are the ospreys gone. Does anyone know. Fri evening I saw two turkey buzzards on nest.
Has anyone seen our ospreys. I wonder if they are gone. I saw two turkey buzzards on nest last evening
Two turkey buzzards on nest. One on perch, one on nest. Haven’t seen ospreys for awhile.
Wonder if they have left.
Just checked in on nest. Turkey buzzards on nest. One on nest, one on perch.
Haven’t seen the ospreys. Do we think they have taken flight to somewhere unknown
Osprey (parent?) on perch this early morning, quietly looking around and stretching his neck toward the warm autumn sun.
Parent on the nest….Sunday 12:30 PM
Parent on the perch ……looking around in the rain…..
Osprey on the perch eating a fish.
Marlene thanks for info. Yes it was a turkey vulture on perch. I looked it up & Picture was exactly what I saw.
Marlaine, sorry I misspelled your name.
All is forgiven. Not the first or last time it’s been misspelled and don’t ask how many times it’s been mispronounced. What were my parents thinking.
There was a large bird on perch. Had a red head as far as I could tell. Much larger than osprey.
Sounds like it was a turkey buzzard.
We went to Stockton Lake for Labor Day weekend, out in the boat more on the north end, and of course, osprey watching. We saw eight sightings, but they fly so fast and over treetops, so I don’t know how many there actually were. We witnessed four dives for fish, but all seemed to be unsuccessful. Three of the flybys were right in front of us and over our boat. I like to think they were saying “Hi!”
How exciting!!
Only a blackbird spotted on the perch this morning!
Two on nest. One parent & not certain on 2nd one.
Blackbird on nest. Three ospreys on utility pole to right of nest.
One on utility pole to right of nest.