Osprey Nest Live WebCam

Did you know Canada supports one third of the world's osprey population?
 
Osprey is a fish-eating hawk with a scientific name called pandion haliaetus. It is a spectacular big bird at the top of the aquatic food web. It has distinct characteristics such as:

• gull-like crook in the wing
• dark brown line through the eye and on the side of the face
• weighs 1.5 to 2.0 kg
• wingspan is 1.6 metres. Like other birds of prey the osprey has powerful sharp talons and a hooked beak for handling their prey.
• The main predator of osprey eggs is the raccoon, while the great horned owl sometimes kill osprey chicks and adults. 

Their hunting abilities are quite dramatic, as they are able to dive into the water from a height of up to 40 metres. The osprey has sharp spines on the soles of their feet that enable them to grasp their prey. When the osprey catches food their opposable outer toe is able to rotate to allow for better aerodynamics while in flight.
 
Male Osprey provide most of the food for the family while the mother remains at the nest for much of the summer. Osprey feed almost exclusively on fish.  

The Pandionidae family has one species of osprey, and this particular species of Osprey thrives in most parts of the world (except the Polar Regions). They breed commonly in most areas of Canada and the United States and these birds migrate up to 8000km to South and Central America.
 
Osprey breed in Canada between April and September. Their eggs are incubated for about 40 days. Chicks fledge in Mid-July when they are about 2 months old, however they remain close to the nesting site for another three weeks or so dependent on the parents for food.

Female adult Ospreys have a pattern of brown feathers across the white chest. This is sometimes referred to as a "necklace." The male's chest is plain white. The female is often larger than the male. Other than those details, the male and female look alike.  

Osprey live close to water bodies with a rich source of food and they are commonly found as scattered pairs in the interior of Canada and United States.
 
Osprey are adaptable birds and are able to nest in natural and artificial structures close to water including at the top of dead trees, hydro poles, duck blinds, microwave towers and navigation light towers respectively. 

Since osprey are at the top of the aquatic food web they can be regarded as an indicator of the health and productivity of an ecosystem. If an area is polluted with certain chemicals, animals that are lower on the food chain may digest small amounts of that chemical. Animals such as the Osprey, are at the top of the food web, and will accumulate more toxins in their bodies, a term known as bio-accumulation, therefore, larger animals like Osprey, can effectively determine the condition of the natural environment they are living in.
 
An increase of organic chemical such as the PCBs and DDTs can lead to decline of Osprey population through egg shell thinning.