Spring Meadow Lake Osprey Cam Live – Helena, Montana

Welcome to the Spring Meadow Lake osprey webcam, hosted by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The nest is at Spring Meadow Lake State Park in Helena, Montana's capital.

Last Chance Audubon supplied the equipment and the camera, known as the Bill Rainey Memorial Camera. Spring Meadow Lake is a small, spring-fed lake on the west side of Helena, popular for swimming, fishing and walking, and its stocked waters provide a convenient food supply for the ospreys.

The osprey year

• Arrival from southern wintering grounds in April
• Nest repair, egg laying and incubation
• Chicks hatching and fledging over the summer

Ospreys feed almost entirely on fish, diving feet-first to catch them, and viewers often see the adults bringing trout to the nest. The camera offers an educational look at the full breeding cycle. By late summer, the young are flying and the family soon heads south for the winter. The stream is provided by MontanaFWP.