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Osprey out: Owner of live cam says we’ll see them again next spring (with sound)

The Grand Lake osprey cam caught an osprey couple that hatched three chicks this summer, all of whom learned to fly and fish in front of tens of thousands of viewers. The birds have migrated south for the winter, but they should be back again in April.
Courtesy Kent Roorda

Like a hit TV series fading out after the season finale, Grand Lake’s favorite osprey family has gone south for the winter.

In an update this week, Kent Roorda, owner of the live, 24/7 osprey cam posted on a nest in Grand Lake, revealed that the show is over, at least for now, as he applauded the birds’ successful year and thanked everyone for tuning in.

Over the course of the spring and summer, the Sky-Hi News carried a feed of the ospreys from Roorda’s cam that logged tens of thousands of views.



On Friday, one of the viewers called into the paper and recalled some of the highlights, like watching the three chicks learn to eat progressively bigger pieces of fish, as he fawned over the close-up images and wanted to know if the family of aviators was still here.

The man even said the osprey cam had helped lead him to other live animal feeds, such as those coming from the San Diego Zoo. Well, those feeds will have to do for now.



“It is believed that the ospreys from (the Grand Lake) area migrate to and from the Gulf area and islands,” Roorda explained in his latest update confirming this year’s migration has happened. “I would also like to share that ‘our orphan’ has also left, which is very good news for her.”

In a bit of a surprise, the three chicks hatched in the nest this year weren’t the only young birds seen using the perch this summer. In fact, a young female was spotted in the nest late in the season.

In a previous update, Roorda confirmed the young female was not one of the three that hatched in the nest this year. He said it is impossible to know how or why she was orphaned, but that she appeared to have solid flying skills and could fish on her own, and those were good signs.

Even though the young osprey had survival skills, she also was seen getting some help from the parents, who Roorda noticed had “adopted” the orphaned osprey and seemed to be looking out for her.

With the orphan chick beginning her migration, Roorda believes she is on track to resuming a more normal osprey life.

“Let’s all wish her the very best,” he added.


Kent Roorda on Aug. 30: A number of you have recently asked me if the chicks have all left the nest and have flown south. The answer is no. In fact, all three of them are flying and catching their own fish now. They must develop both their flying and fishing skills for a few weeks before they migrate as their lives depend on it. Occasionally, you will see Mom at the nest, but her job is complete now that the chicks can feed themselves. Dad can often be seen in ‘his tree’ which is about 150 feet from the nest.

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As for the family, according to Roorda, the three chicks that hatched this year will not return next spring. Instead, they will stay south for more than a year before they come back to the Grand Lake area in spring 2022 looking to start families of their own. 

“Normally, the parents return to the nest around April 15 of each year,” he explained. “As we near that day, I will send you a notification so that you can watch their behaviors once they arrive.”

In a bit of a tease to next season, Roorda also reiterated something he said earlier this year, that next year’s cam will be even better with audio.

A screenshot from the Grand Lake osprey live stream hosted by local Kent Roorda shows the female osprey eatting a fish while watching over her three eggs.
Courtesy Kent Roorda

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