BREMEN — A live camera on Thursday captured the hatching of osprey chicks at Hog Island Audubon Camp in Bremen, one of several “Project Puffin” wildlife sanctuaries along Maine’s coast.

The first of three chicks hatched a little before noon, according to the Audubon Society, which partnered with explore.org to launch the live cam and capture the moment. The other two hatchlings followed later in the day.

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The first of three eggs laid on April 29 has hatched. Two more are expected to hatch today.

“We’re excited to give people a window into this wonderful world of birds, and we hope to inspire viewers everywhere to take actions that improve the planet for all its inhabitants,” said Steve Kress, Project Puffin director and Audubon vice president.

Kress has been instrumental in developing techniques to encourage rare bird species, including osprey, to return to Maine islands.

The camera has been trained on an osprey nest perched atop a 30-foot tower at the Audubon camp that the parents have called home for many years. Three eggs in the nest were laid on April 29 and were expected to hatch in mid-June after 40 days or so of incubation.

Now that the chicks have hatched, their parents will feed them and shelter them from bad weather and any predators. In 50 days or so – late July – the young ospreys will take their first practice flights, and in September will begin solo journeys down the Atlantic coast and through the Caribbean before settling in South America for the winter.

Bird enthusiasts and anyone else can track the osprey online at explore.org. The osprey cam is one of several feeds sponsored by the site’s Pearls of the Planet initiative.

“When people are inspired to fall in love with the world again, they are more likely to be better stewards of the planet,” said Charlie Annenberg, founder of explore.org and VP of The Annenberg Foundation, which is underwriting Audubon’s Osprey Cam for the next three years.

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