Happy Earth Day! Southern Maryland Audubon Society (SMAS) and JES Avanti Foundation are thrilled to announce that we helped our friends at Smallwood State Park purchase an Osprey nest cam!
The cam’s live feed captures real-time action at an Osprey nest on Mattawoman Creek in Marbury, Maryland. As of today’s public launch, the nest is occupied and already has three eggs!
Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymyNgBdlQHQ.
SMAS board member Elena Gilroy, a park ranger at Smallwood, worked tirelessly with the state and Terrain360, a contractor based in Richmond, Virginia, to bring our concept to fruition. This is the second nest camera SMAS has spearheaded in partnership with other nonprofits and government agencies. The first was the Bald Eagle nest cam at Port Tobacco River Park, a nature area overseen by Charles County Recreation and Parks. Two cams mean that we can view raptor nest activity in Southern Maryland from about December to July.
Please note that these are wild nests. Even though we are as hopeful as you are for a successful nesting season, we do not interfere with their natural cycle, which sometimes may include interactions with predators or natural disasters.