Every year, the Bay’s most beloved birds return to nest in their habitat of choice: ospreys on a platform over water, great blue herons among the pines, and peregrine falcons on a downtown Baltimore skyscraper.
All three species’ nests are equipped with live webcams for fans to stream the peaceful sights and sounds of nature and observe the nesting season from a rare vantage point. And stream they do—millions of people from countries all over the world view the three livestreams, which Chesapeake Conservancy operates with partners like Explore.org and Mediacom.
Fans who tune in each season wait to see if the same birds will return to couple up at their respective nests. And it turns out that all three locations have been productive in 2022, with activity really picking up over the past week.
Kent Island osprey couple Tom & Audrey are expecting three bundles of joy, with Audrey having laid her third egg Tuesday.
Boh & Barb, the peregrine falcons that raise their young high atop the 33rd floor of the Transamerica building in downtown Baltimore, are taking care of three fuzzy chicks, all hatched between April 24-25. At last check, webcam watchers were still awaiting a fourth egg to hatch.
And at the great blue heron rookery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, herons Rell & Eddie and their long-legged friends are having a very active nesting season. Chesapeake Conservancy reports that the property owner where the webcam is set up has found several empty eggshells on the loblolly pine forest floor, indicating that several heron chicks have hatched in their nests.
Webcam viewers are often the ones who break the news of an egg that has just been laid or just hatched. Keep your eyes peeled and you could catch one of these moments yourself! Stream at chesapeakeconservancy.org/webcams/.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
