Ospreys are thriving in P.E.I. — and some are even streaming online, 24/7
CBC
They are some of Prince Edward Island's most popular summer visitors, and now one family of ospreys is even attracting international attention thanks to a 24/7 online video feed.
Tim Banks installed an osprey platform at his summer cottage in Old Tracadie Harbour on P.E.I.'s North Shore in July 2020 through a program offered by Maritime Electric.
"It's the best $800 I ever spent in my life because we get a lot of fun out of it," Banks said.
"Four or five minutes after the heavy equipment left the site, they started building a nest. So we didn't get a camera installed till near the end of September when they left, and we've been following them ever since."
The ospreys have returned every year since, raising two chicks in both 2021 and 2022, three in 2023, and another trio that hatched this year.
Banks said the family of ospreys has now built two more nests in nearby trees.
In 2022, the birds headed south just two days before post-tropical storm Fiona, which blew the nest off the platform.
"We got up in the morning ... and the nest was missing and it was in shambles on the ground. I found parts of it later and I thought, 'Oh my God, is that going to prevent them from coming back?'" Banks said.
"But in the spring, they arrived in mid-May, which is generally when they come, and within moments of arriving, the two of them frantically built the nest."
Banks said the osprey parents are protective of the nest, and keep a close eye on anything that gets close.
"My dog, anybody that lives here on our property, the birds get familiar with them and you don't hear anything," Banks said.
"But as you guys today showed up, they even called out their relatives from the neighbouring nest up the road there and they were circling around, just suspicious of new people."
The feed from the osprey cam is shown on a big screen at the nearby Fin Folk Food restaurant, while the livestream on YouTube has nearly 200 subscribers — including one viewer who's studying it for research purposes.
Banks recently had the platform's location, date and time stamp added to the feed to help the researchers.