Osprey Live Stream, Stockton, Missouri
For optimal viewing, please use Google Chrome
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
Talk about team work….Dad feeding while Mom does the mombrella to shade them!!!!
I really love this nest and want to watch it more. The buffering makes it hard to watch, though. The parents seem very experienced and I love the way the male spends a lot of time on the nest. It seems he enjoys feeding and brooding.
Carol: I, too, had a problem with buffering. I called my internet provider and increased the download speed (at an extra cost) and it solved the problem.
Thanks Kris. I think I already have the fastest speed available, but I’ll check into it.
Love seeing this double feeding! Great parents!
Hi Jan! I’m here for the first time. What a wonderful family!
Happy morning. Snapshot selection showed as selection on my IPad this am. Great shots
6:15 a.m. Dad brings unusually large fish. Mom feeding all four nestlings while Dad keeps watch.
I set up my desk top computer & immediately found the snapshots. Becky the 3 bars are on computer but
Could never get them on IPad thanks for your help. Guess I’ll use both devices lol
Becky, thanks for your information. I have tried several times & still can’t locate the snap shots. I am not very computer savvy
Just tried to find snaps and clicked on Osprey Cam at top of page and it brought them up.
The cam is buffering a lot tonight. It’s hard to watch.
7:19: Mom feeding nestlings. All four are eager to eat!
First time I see an osprey family with four chicks!
ooops!! I’ll try again……. I agree……I did not mean for that to sound like a bad thing that he left with the leftover fish.
I’m trying to type on my mother’s ipad…..keep messing up……Sorry!!
Awesome snapshots, Mike! Thank you so much!
I watch nest on my IPad. Only selections to choose under osprey cam are
Open
Open in new tab
Add to reading list
Copy.
Still can’t see snap shots & gallery
If anyone can help me I would certainly appreciate. Thanks
I have an IPad mini, so don’t know if this will help you, Mary, but maybe. Once I am on the Osprey cam (Home or the Osprey cam itself), there is a small square with 3 stripes in the upper right corner. If I tap on that, more selections open up. If you tap on Osprey cam (on the left) from there, it just takes you back to the camera view. But far off to the RIGHT are two small arrows pointing down. If you tap on the arrows, then Snap Shots appears and you can open them. Hope this works for you.
It would be nice if the camera could be moved so we could see more of the left side of the nest. I hope the male can catch a lot of fish so all four chicks will make it.
For myself I would like to see you zoom all the way out I can zoom in anytime I want.
Love the snapshots. Thanks Mike
Finally no rain for a while and we can all dry out a bit! 4 chicks! WOOOOT WOOOOT!!!!!
I couldn’t find the snapshots. I clicked on osprey cam
Just move your mouse to the Osprey Cam Menu, there should be another menu bar drop down…….says Snap Shots and Gallery.
Click on the box in the upper right hand corner with the 3 lines in it. A drop down box will open and it will say Osprey Cam with 2 downward arrows at the far right. Click on the arrows and a list will show that says Snap Shots and Gallery. Click on Snap Shots. Gallery has the pictures of the nest being moved.
I’ve added a snap shot folder for some of the images I’ve captured. Sub-Menu under Osprey Cam.
I’m going to let those of you keeping track of thing to let me know when you think we need to zoom back out. My thoughts are let the babies get a little bigger and then zoom out some if not all the way. So let me know when you are wanting a wider shot.
I would like to see the entire nest if possible. I can move my screen in if needed. Maybe not all the way zoomed out
Don’t know how much wiggle room there is for zoom. Thanks
I like it to be zoomed in when the chicks are young. Thank you.
Sounds good to me! Thank you!
Hi – are you the cam op ? I am wondering because tonight it seems a bit of the nest is out of view. I[‘m not familiar with this nest to know if the camera is monitored. Thank you !
Dad just came back and reclaimed the leftover fish….took off with it. He is a great provider!!
but that is good! no sense of having something there a predator might want
Yes…..I did not mean for that to so
Mom was eating a long worm, presumably from the fish that she is now using for a pillow….haha….
Mom feeding 4 hungry babies. Dad keep fish coming
4 babies this morning may 18,9:52, mom is feeding <3
All four have hatched, four babies.
Wow!!
Wow!!
Silly dad is piling sticks and bark on the babies…
Mom is trying to rearrange dad’s mistakes….LOL (I don’t know why my “wow” came up twice on those last posts.)
dads 🙂 gotta love ’em
Three little ones & one egg
Mom feeding 3. Still 1 egg
Mama’s working hard to keep her babies and egg warm and dry…….
…. Dad just brought a fish, but is standing in front of the cam….. Mom is feeding herself and the babes behind him….
I was wrong last night. Three babies being fed this am & 1 egg in nest
I think we have 4 babies. Mom was cleaning what I think is last shell
The view was good for several minutes. Three babies being fed. M & D both on nest.
Then one got between babies & camera
3 babies
Woo-Hoo!!!
Close-up is too close
Two hungry babies, two eggs M & D, & fish on nest. Could see babies for a few minutes
I also would love to have full nest available!
Could the camera be adjusted to have the nest in the center?
Two babies two eggs at this time
I wonder is we have another one. I watched Mom clean out a half shell just now
My bad went to review only 2 currently.
Think we have 3rd Baby.
I wonder if we have a 3rd baby. Broken egg shell laying beside Mom which
I had not seen earlier
2 babies
Good shot of baby being fed this am. Still 3 eggs. Mike is it possible to zoom in on full nest. Left side seems cut off
thank you thank you thank you !!!!! i see the baby and still three more eggs at 4:30 pm cst
Good shot of new baby, three eggs & Mom & Dad on nest at 4:36. Thanks for the zoom in Mike!
Sorry, I wasn’t expecting it this soon. I have zoomed the camera in for better baby viewing.
Why is the WOW camera so out of focus?
wonderful love this nest!!!
Thank you!!
Mike, does anyone know the status of the other Osprey nests around Stockton Lake? Thank you.
We do have a baby. I also thought I could see three eggs
We definitely have a baby!! Dad came back with a fish and Mom shared a little with the babe, then took off with the rest…Dad is tending the nest…
Thank you for the heads-up, dollady!!!
i cannot tell if we have a hatchling
9:30 she moved the egg shell!!!
looks like only three eggs now? 5/11 7.29 am CST
I think I just saw three eggs, too.
getting close to hatching? will you be moving cam in?
I still see for eggs
At 11:20 this am neither parent was on nest. The four eggs were in nest. Shortly after Mom came back &
Appeared to be nervous. Did cover eggs. I saw a person in dark clothing walking to right of nest. Appeared to be
Carrying something
I still saw four eggs this evening
I could only see three eggs this morning happy family survived the storms
I believe I just saw four eggs. Mom ‘O’ was adjusting them before settling again!