First Egg of 2026
Osprey Mating
Three to a Nest?
Osprey Pair Sharing Fish
Landing at Dawn
Behind the Scenes and Up a Pole
Osprey Nest Timelapse 2026
A Mystical Owl Visit – 2025
Enjoy viewing this Raptor Cam with nesting ospreys.
This page uses both solar-powered camera LiveStream and historical playlist footage to best illustrate raptor nest activity.
Thank You to Our Raptor Cam Sponsors
Much gratitude goes to Summit local Ernie Frey, our extraordinary video volunteer on this project
Raptors of Summit County, Colorado
Bald Eagle
National emblem of the United States. Usually found near large bodies of water.
Peregrine Falcon
Osprey
Nests near any body of water, often in tall trees, almost exclusively eats fish.
Red-Tailed Hawk
Highly variable diet, mostly small mammals and rodents – prefers terrestrial, diurnal prey.
Great Horned Owl
Raptor photos courtesy of Ruth Carroll & Elaine Collins
Raptor Cam Story
In the spring of 2023, the “Wave on the Blue Apartments” development at 700 Blue River Parkway in Silverthorne encountered an unexpected — and rather charming — complication: a pair of ospreys had set their sights on the site.
The bold birds discovered that the construction crane offered everything they could want in a home: an elevated vantage point, a sturdy platform for their sprawling nest, and the sparkling Blue River practically at their doorstep. Known as “river hawks,” ospreys rely almost entirely on fish for food, making this spot not just convenient, but perfect.
After numerous unsuccessful attempts to discourage the osprey couple’s nest building, it was determined through community interest that a new location for the nest was needed to keep them thriving and the project moving along. In partnership with the Tuft Construction and Development team (the developers of the Wave on the Blue apartment complex), Xcel Energy donated and installed a pole behind the Dillon Ranger Station at 680 Blue River Parkway in Silverthorne. The Tuft Construction team and Colorado Parks and Wildlife built a nesting platform mounted atop the pole hoping for a smooth transition for our feathered Osprey friends to find a new, safe place to call home.
Do the Birds Like Their New Home?
They love it!
In the spring of 2024, we were all overjoyed and relieved to confirm that the osprey couple had returned to their nest on their brand new platform. And now each spring, they return again to their nest!
Here at the US Forest Service and Friends of the Dillon Ranger District, we got excited about the unique opportunity for the community to observe these unique birds via a solar-powered nest cam. Numerous ecological factors were considered while planning this project. Ultimately wildlife biologists with the US Forest Service, specialists from Colorado Parks & Wildlife, and experts with the US Fish & Wildlife Service determined that the nest cam project would have no negative impact on the birds that now call this new nest “home”.
We hope you enjoy viewing our new neighbors as much as we do!
Thank you to all Summit County community members who have supported this project, and to all who continue to support this project with financial donations to the Friends of the Dillon Ranger District. The Osprey appreciate you too!
