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This morning a young osprey named “Sky” took his first flight into the wild blue yonder. Three osprey chicks being documented by a new Osprey live cam are doing what humans only dream about, spreading their wings and learning to fly. Two more chicks remain in the nest, so now is the time to watch.
In only two months’ time, the chicks have grown the feathers and wing muscles necessary to fly in a process called “fledging”. Thanks to a partnership between explore.org, a philanthropic media organization, and the National Audubon Society, a worldwide audience can now watch the miracle of flight in real time.
The live video camera is trained on the birds’ nest, located atop a 30-foot tower at the Hog Island Audubon Camp in Bremen, Maine. The cam is live during daylight hours ET until the Osprey family heads south through the Caribbean and South America starting in early September.
“We’re excited to give people a window into this wonderful world of birds, and we hope to inspire viewers everywhere to take actions that improve the planet for all its inhabitants,” said Steve Kress, Project Puffin director and Audubon vice president. Kress successfully pioneered new techniques to bring Puffins and other bird species back to Maine islands after over a century of abandonment.
For explore.org, the Osprey Cam is the latest addition to its Pearls of the Planet initiative, a portfolio of live video feeds installed around the world to help people everywhere deepen their connection to nature and reflect on their role in it. “When people are inspired to fall in love with the world again, they are more likely to be better stewards of the planet,” said Charlie Annenberg, founder of explore.org and VP of The Annenberg Foundation, which is underwriting Audubon’s Osprey Cam for the next three years.
See video [http://ow.ly/cBFzl]
More about Ospreys and the Seabird Restoration Program
Ospreys are great aerial anglers, hovering 30-100 feet above the sea, before plunging to snag live fish with their talons. Because of their diet, Ospreys prefer waterfront real estate, with large stick nests built high out of the reach of predators.
In addition to the seabird restoration program, Audubon has offered educational programs about birding, ornithology and natural history at its legendary Hog Island Camp since 1936. The osprey tower sits in the middle of the Audubon Camp, so adults, teens and families taking part in the five-day residential programs can watch the ospreys flying overhead and view the birds’ activities on a large monitor.
To see the Ospreys live, go to explore.org/birds Photos available