Barnegat Light Osprey Nest Live Cam

Live view from an osprey nest located in Barnegat Light, Long Beach Island, Ocean County, New Jersey.

This live streaming camera was first installed for the 2019 nesting season, where two young were produced by the unbanded female and banded male (788-49033), named Duke. He was banded in 2006 as a nestling at Sedge Island (to the north of Barnegat Light), which is the most densely populated colony of nesting ospreys in New Jersey. Both first occupied this nest in 2018 and were together until fall migration in 2020. That year the pair produced three young.

In 2021, the previous female did not return and she was replaced by a new female, named Daisy by viewers. They raised two young in 2021 & 2022. In 2023, Duke and Daisy reunited and produced three young, but only one survived to fledge. In 2024, Daisy did not lay any eggs, despite many successful copulation attempts by Duke. Last year, Duke returned and reached the prime age of 19. He formed a new pair bond with an unbanded female, now named Dixie. They had three eggs by mid-May. Two were lost to predation by a gull after Duke disappeared for 67 hours after a coastal storm. The last egg did not hatch. In 2025, 58% of nests surveyed in NJ failed to produce young, which was the highest nest failure rate ever recorded in NJ. The effects of prey scarcity were widespread along the coast and most broods were small, which is a direct correlation of food stress. The main prey of osprey on the coast is Atlantic menhaden, a forage fish which is harvested in very large quantities. In 2024, over 400 million pounds of menhaden was harvested commercially along the Atlantic coast.

In late March 2026 we fundraised to replace the camera. We met our goal in under 6 hours! A new camera was installed along with new wiring and other components on April 1 with support from RSC INTL., who is a proud sponsor of the Barnegat Light Osprey Cam.

Watch live as ospreys return each season to build, maintain, and defend their stick nest on Long Beach Island. This camera offers an intimate window into the breeding cycle, nesting behavior, and daily challenges these magnificent raptors face along the New Jersey coast. The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ monitors this nest year-round to track population trends and protect this species. Visit www.conservewildlifenj.org/ospreycam for detailed nest updates and to learn more about osprey conservation efforts.