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Cameras and AI Will Track Fish Deliveries to Connecticut Ospreys

An osprey in flight carrying an American shad in its talons
Research · Ecology

A new Connecticut, USA study will use nest cameras and artificial intelligence to document fish delivered to young ospreys (Pandion haliaetus). Connecticut Audubon Society announced the project on 4 March 2026 after its monitoring programme recorded fewer fledglings per active nest in 2025 than in any previous year of the 12-year series.

Cameras Will Compare Prey Deliveries Across Three Aquatic Settings

The Osprey Prey Study plans to place cameras at nests near salt water, brackish water and fresh water. The images will be used to identify the species, number and size of fish brought back by adults and to test whether prey deliveries differ among coastal, estuarine and inland nests.

Artificial intelligence will screen the large image volume and flag frames that contain fish deliveries. Human observers can then identify and measure prey in the relevant photographs. Volunteers from the existing Osprey Nation network are also expected to contribute photographs and field observations.

Productivity Fell to 1.26 Fledglings per Active Nest in 2025

Osprey Nation recorded 726 active nests and 1,077 fledglings in 2024, compared with 682 active nests and 862 fledglings in 2025. Productivity fell from 1.48 to 1.26 fledglings per active nest, the lowest value in the programme’s 12-year history.

Those figures do not identify the cause. The 2025 report documented incubation failures, losses after hatching and abandoned nesting attempts, as well as severe heat and storms. Observers also reported possible starvation at individual nests and fewer menhaden in some local waters, but the report treated those observations as anecdotal. Low osprey breeding success linked to prey availability farther south in Chesapeake Bay is one reason for testing the question directly in Connecticut rather than assuming the same explanation applies.

Connecticut Audubon describes the first camera season as a baseline for later comparison. The project is designed to link actual prey deliveries with nest performance so subsequent analyses can test whether food availability contributes to breeding outcomes alongside weather, disturbance, predation and other factors.

Sources and image credit

  1. Connecticut Audubon Society. (2026, March 4). Osprey study to use trail cameras and AI to analyze why productivity is slipping. https://ctaudubon.org/news/2026-study-to-incorporate-trail-cameras-and-ai-into-an-analysis-of-why-osprey-productivity-is-slipping/Primary project announcement dated 4 March 2026. It describes the prey-delivery study, cameras at nests near salt, brackish and fresh water, and AI-assisted screening of images.
  2. Connecticut Audubon Society. (2025). Osprey Nation 2025 season report. https://ctaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Osprey-Nation-2025-Report-12.4.12.docx-1.pdfPrimary monitoring report supporting the breeding figures: 682 active nests, 862 fledglings and productivity of 1.26 fledglings per active nest in 2025, the lowest in the 12-year series.

Image: Chuck Homler / FocusOnWildlife.Me — osprey in flight carrying a fish; Wikimedia Commons; representative image of the prey-delivery behaviour studied in Connecticut · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

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