Before They Fly Off: Help Track Fish Catches On Smallwood’s Osprey Cam

MARBURY, Md. — Osprey nesting season is nearing its end, but there is still time to catch a live look at one of Smallwood State Park’s most watched wild residents.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Osprey Cam at Smallwood State Park offers a live view of an osprey nest at the Marbury park, giving viewers a close-up look at nesting activity before the birds become less active on the nest for the season. The camera is made possible through the Southern Maryland Audubon Society and is featured on the Smallwood State Park website.

According to DNR, ospreys are usually most active on the nest from mid-March to early July, meaning viewers may be catching some of the final active days of the season on the Smallwood Osprey Cam. While the camera focuses on the osprey nest, other birds, including bald eagles, may also appear at times.

The nest is wild, and park staff do not interfere with the birds’ natural cycle. DNR notes that nesting season can include predators, weather and other events that are part of life in the wild.

How The Park Tracks Ospreys

Each year, Smallwood State Park staff work with a licensed bird bander to monitor osprey chicks and place federal identification bands on their legs. The bands help track osprey movement and migration. DNR noted that one female osprey with the band Z07 was tracked back to her birthplace in northern Ohio.

The Osprey Cam also gives viewers a chance to help catalog what the birds bring back to the nest through a feature DNR calls “I Spy with the Osprey!” Participants are asked to visit the Smallwood State Park website and watch the livestream until they spot a fresh catch, then take a screenshot and upload the image through the online form.

The form asks participants for their name, email address, the screenshot, and the date and time of the catch. It also asks viewers to identify the type of fish, with options including American eel, black crappie, blue catfish, bluegill, brown bullhead, channel catfish, Chesapeake channa, gizzard shad, largemouth bass, longnose gar, pumpkinseed, white perch and yellow perch. Viewers unsure of a catch can select “I don’t know” or “other,” and DNR points participants to its fish identification chart for help.

About Smallwood State Park

Smallwood State Park is named for Gen. William Smallwood, a Charles County native and the highest-ranked Marylander in the American Revolutionary War. The park is also a popular destination for boating, camping, fishing, hiking and history, with six boat ramps, trailer parking and access to Mattawoman Creek and the Potomac River.

Smallwood State Park is open from 5 a.m. to sunset April through October and from 7 a.m. to sunset November through March.

For more information, contact Smallwood State Park at 301-743-7613 or smallwood.statepark@maryland.gov.

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