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Montezuma Osprey Nest-cam 2009

Update April 8. The Osprey Camera is back for another season just in time to see a pair of Osprey start building a new nest on the Osprey Platform. Refuge staff removed the old nest in February to avoid the possibility of a Goose usurping the platform before the Osprey return from the South. See below for still pictures which update every 25 seconds. Streaming (full motion) Video is not available from this location. View live (full motion) video on a large screen TV by visiting the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center.

Trials and Tribulations of maintaining a wildlife webcam: We had an uninvited guest at the electonics box where the live image from the camera is junctioned to a microwave transmitter for relay to the Refuge Visitor Center. Our forensic crime scene investigators determined that the culprit was of the four legged variety. It appears that a very determined Racoon upended the electronics box and unfastened some military style hasp locks on the box, most likely thinking that there were goodies (possibly in the form of ant larvae) inside. Some ants do make their way part way into the conduit gland for wires going into the box, so it is reasonable to assume the scent of the ants was the attracting factor. After opening the box, the racoon chewed some wire in frustration and spilled the contents of the box on the ground. Fortunately, we got to the box before any rain could damage the equipment.

Scroll below the picture for webcam information and information about the osprey.

Osprey nest camera 2009 Images are updated every 25 seconds. Hours of operation are 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM in the Eastern Daylight Time Zone. At other times you will see the message "no signal" onscreen. Also, long periods of rain and clouds may cause interruption of solar powered camera and signal transmitter. Signal outage may continue for some time until sun can recharge the battery. (You may periodically get a blank picture. Click here to refresh the image or wait for the 25 second reload.)

Countdown timer to next image refresh:

The osprey platform is located in a marsh on the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge about two miles from the Visitor Center. A single coaxial cable about 1500 feet long connects the camera which is mounted above the platform to a transmitter which is mounted some 65 feet up in a tree that has a clear view of the visitor center. The coaxial cable delivers power to the camera as well as video and audio to the transmitter by means of rf wideband modulator and demodulators. The transmitter, camera, and microphone are all powered from a solar collector that is mounted in an adjoining marsh. Power during periods of low sunlight is supplemented by a storage battery that receives its charge from the solar collector. The microwave signal is received at the visitor center where it can be viewed on a large screen monitor. The signal is then uploaded to the internet through a video server connected the T1 Internet connection at the refuge office.

General information about Ospreys

About the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge