Two Out Of Three Osprey Chicks Hatch On Friends Of Island Beach Osprey Cam

One osprey chick has already popped through its cream and rust-colored shell and another sibling is ready to break through. Two down, one more to go.

Bay and Bandit, the chicks' mother and father, starting working on the nest almost as soon as they arrived back at Island Beach State Park in late March. They've been busy warming the three eggs that hatched several weeks ago and tending to the nest.

You can watch the little family grow on the Pete McClain Osprey Cam, perched high atop the pole next to the park's interpretive center. The Osprey Cam runs 24 hours a day. Click here to watch.

Island Beach has about 30 nesting pairs at the park each year. The birds mate for life and usually return to the same nest each year.

In the summer of 2014, osprey camera viewers dubbed the ospreys in this nest Bay and Bandit. Bay is short for Lady of the (Barnegat) Bay. Unfortunately that summer, the first Bandit disappeared during a storm. The second Bandit arrived at the nest and Bay accepted him as a mate, according to Friends of Island Beach Facebook page.