Meanwhile, Peregrine Falcons Barb & Boh Have Four Eggs & Great Blue Herons Nest on the Eastern Shore

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Annapolis, MD – For the Chesapeake, the return of spring is marked by the return of one of our most iconic species, the osprey. This weekend, Tom returned to his Kent Island home provided by the Crazy Osprey Family, returning from his winter season, possibly in the Caribbean, Central America or South America. Viewers of the webcam made possible by the Crazy Osprey Family, explore.org, and Chesapeake Conservancy, are eagerly awaiting the return of his mate, Audrey. Shortly after Tom’s arrival at 7:56 p.m. on March 26, he began to rebuild the nest on the platform. Already sticks with ribbons tied on by the Crazy Osprey Family and left in their yard can be seen on the platform as the nest begins to take shape.

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Millions of viewers tune into the Chesapeake Conservancy’s three wildlife webcams—osprey, peregrine falcon and great blue heron—streamed in partnership with explore.org, the world’s largest live camera network.

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“It’s no doubt that 2020 was a difficult year for everyone. We heard time and time again that while spending more time at home to help stop the spread of COVID-19, our wildlife webcams brought a connection to nature and some joy. We hope the cams will bring that same sense in 2021,” Chesapeake Conservancy President and CEO Joel Dunn said. “In a time of new beginnings and a season noted for growth, these birds provide an example of how beautiful our natural world is and how important nature is to our mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing.”

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All three webcams can be accessed at: chesapeakeconservancy.org/explore/wildlife-webcams/

Great Blue Heron Cam: chesapeakeconservancy.org/heroncam

Osprey Cam: chesapeakeconservancy.org/ospreycam

Peregrine Falcon Cam: chesapeakeconservancy.org/falconcam

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Peregrine Falcon Cam

Barb & Boh have started this season strong with four eggs to take care of at their scrape on a windowsill in downtown Baltimore, on the 33^rd floor of the Transamerica building. Located at 100 Light Street, this building has served as a nesting site for peregrine falcons for over 35 years and has been a symbolic component in the species’ recovery. Barb laid her first egg on March 21.

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Last season, Boh & Barb hatched three eyasses (falcon chicks), with all three successfully fledging in late summer. A fourth egg was nonviable.

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Osprey Cam

In 2020, Audrey laid three eggs, but all three failed to hatch. Tom and Audrey took long absences from the nest, leaving their eggs susceptible to weather conditions and predators. Following the loss of their eggs, Tom & Audrey also had to fend off several visiting osprey for the rest of the season.

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Great Blue Heron Cam

The great blue heron cam features a rookery on the Eastern Shore. The herons returned to their nests in late-February and early-March. The rookery is home to between 10 and 12 nests. The two featured herons from one of the nests are “Rell” and “Eddie.”

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In 2020, Rell & Eddie laid four eggs which all successfully hatched. However, two of the older chicks killed the two younger chicks. This behavior is not unusual and may have occurred due to food competition. Despite this event, the rest of the season was uneventful, with the surviving two chicks fledging later in the summer.