The Badin Lake Osprey Cam: Easter Eggs Arrive

The week before Easter saw the special delivery of two eggs on the Alcoa OspreyCam, a live feed that follows a pair of Osprey in their nest atop the Narrows Dam at Badin Lake. People from across North Carolina and around the world can watch these birds live at www.alcoa.com/ospreycam.

After several weeks of building their new nest, the Osprey pair welcomed their first egg on Wednesday. A second egg was spotted on Friday morning. The eggs typically incubate for about five weeks, so viewers can expect to see the chicks hatch in early to mid May. 

Last year, the Alcoa Osprey Cam saw the arrival of one chick – named Miracle – who survived despite facing several challenges. The live camera lets viewers watch as the chicks hatch, get accustomed to their new surroundings and learn to fly. 
 


Ospreys are large birds — with a wingspan of 5-6 feet — that resemble bald eagles. The birds live along rivers, lakes and other large bodies of water where they can feed on fish. The open water and large tracts of undeveloped shoreline at the Yadkin Project provide the perfect setting for wildlife such as bald eagles, ospreys, great blue herons and great egrets.


Alcoa also operates an EagleCam (www.alcoa.com/eaglecam) that provides a live look at two bald eagle chicks in Davenport, Iowa.

An Inside Look at Osprey on the Yadkin River: Alcoa Webcam Provides Live View of Birds, Baby Chicks

People from across North Carolina and around the world once again have a front-row seat to watch a pair of osprey nesting atop the Narrows Dam at Badin Lake. Alcoa’s popular OspreyCam returns for the third year to provide live coverage of osprey preparing for the arrival of new chicks. The OspreyCam can be viewed online at www.alcoa.com/ospreycam.  

A new pair of osprey claimed the Badin Lake nest this year. For the past several years, it had been home to a pair of osprey named Oscar and Oliveea by Alcoa employees who grew fond of the birds. Last year, Oscar and Oliveea produced three osprey chicks that hatched in late April and took flight in June.

The Osprey Cam is now following a new pair of birds who have been busy sprucing up their nest in recent weeks and laid two eggs in the past week. Viewers will be able to watch as the chicks hatch, get accustomed to their new surroundings and learn to fly.  

“It’s quite a sight. We’re blessed to have such an intimate look at these birds and how they prepare for the arrival of their new chicks. It's like a reality show based in our own backyard,” said Mark Gross, technical manager for Alcoa Power Generating Inc., which operates four dams along the Yadkin River.

Since launching the webcam in 2012, it has attracted viewers from 87 countries.

Visitors can follow updates on the bird in a blog on the Alcoa site and can join in the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #AlcoaOspreyCam.

Ospreys are large birds — with a wingspan of 5-6 feet — that resemble bald eagles. The birds live along rivers, lakes and other large bodies of water where they can feed on fish. The open water and large tracts of undeveloped shoreline at the Yadkin Project provide the perfect setting for wildlife such as bald eagles, ospreys, great blue herons and great egrets. 

“We’re surrounded by nature and are committed to preserving the habitat around the Yadkin Project. We spotted a record number of bald eagle nests on our property this year and are proud that wildlife is thriving here,” Gross said. 

Alcoa also operates an EagleCam that provides a live look at two bald eagle chicks in Davenport, Iowa. The site, www.alcoa.com/eaglecam, has received nearly 20 million visitors. 

Yadkin Ospreys Take Flight

Those of you who have been following our OspreyCam know that our three baby chicks – Ollie, Olive and Oscar Jr. – have recently taken flight and are preparing to leave the next and migrate south in the next few weeks.

We’ve received a ton of positive feedback about the OspreyCam and I wanted to share a few comments with you:

 “I want to thank you all for your time and effort and taking care of the camera so we can all enjoy watching Oscar & Oliveea and their babies.  I am an elementary school teacher in Los Angeles, and my classes and I have enjoyed the past two years of the activity there in Yadkin atop the dam.  It is so wonderful!  Will be tuning in next winter to see the new family of babies!!  Thanks so much, and God bless you all.”

“Thank you for this wonderful site!  I just discovered it this year and have deeply enjoyed watching the little family start and grow!  I am sure I will miss them when they leave this year, but looking forward to following it all again next year. Thank you for helping our wildlife and giving us a site like this to learn and enjoy.”

We look forward to watching the osprey again next year and hope you will join us to see the arrival of a new set of baby chicks. Osprey typically began working on their nest atop the Narrows Dam at Badin Lake in March. The chicks hatch in late April and take flight in June.

Name the Alcoa Osprey Chicks at Badin Lake

Alcoa launched an online contest on today that allows fans of its OspreyCam to choose names for three osprey chicks hatched two weeks ago. The online contest features several names submitted by students at Badin Elementary School.

The Alcoa OspreyCam, a live webcam that follows a pair of osprey at Badin Lake, spotted the eggs in late March and watched until they hatched in late April. Since then, viewers have watched the parents bring fish to the nest and lovingly feed the chicks.

Now it’s time to give the chicks a proper name.

Students at Badin Elementary submitted ideas for the online poll. Some of the suggested names (Ollie, Olive, and Oscar Jr.) are tied to their parents — named Oliver and Oliveea by Alcoa employees at  the dam — while others reflect the traditional role of osprey (Hunter, Fisher) or the attitude these chicks embody (Spirit, Grace).

“The students had a lot of fun suggesting names for the birds. We got some terrific suggestions and are excited about seeing which names are chosen,” said Mark Gross,technical manager for Alcoa Power Generating Inc.

To vote for your favorite set of names, go to www.alcoa.com/ospreycam.

Alcoa OspreyCam: Three baby chicks have arrived

The Alcoa OspreyCam, a live webcam that follows a pair of osprey at Badin Lake, has captured the hatching of three baby chicks. Over the next two months, viewers can watch the parents feed and care for the chicks as they grow and prepare to take flight.

Osprey chicks usually fledge — or leave the nest for their first flight — in late June or early July. The chicks can be seen making practice flights across the nest as they get ready to take flight.

“It’s a great way to see the wonder of nature, right here in our own backyard,” said Mark Gross, technical manager for Alcoa Power Generating Inc. “It’s fascinating to watch these little chicks grow and take flights.”

The OspreyCam can be viewed at www.alcoa.com/ospreycam. Visitors can follow updates through the website and join in the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #AlcoaOspreyCam.

Naming Contest

Alcoa will launch an online contest on later this week to select names for the trio of Osprey chicks. Students from Badin Elementary School suggested names that will be used in the online vote.

“The students had a lot of fun suggesting names for the birds. We got some terrific suggestions and are excited about seeing which names are chosen,” Gross said.

About the OspreyCam

Alcoa launched the OspreyCam in May 2012 to follow two osprey — named Oliveea and Oscar by Alcoa employees — who return every year to a nest situated atop the Narrows Dam. The OspreyCam has received more than 541,000 hits from 87 countries since it was introduced.

Ospreys are large birds — with a wingspan of 5-6 feet — that resemble bald eagles. The birds live along rivers, lakes and other large bodies of water where they can feed on fish. The open water and large tracts of undeveloped shoreline at the Yadkin Project provide the perfect setting for wildlife such as bald eagles, ospreys, great blue herons and great egrets.