Lynx climbs to osprey nest in rare encounter caught on live camera

A lynx was captured on camera climbing to an osprey nest in Finland over the weekend, an extremely unusual event recorded by the Finnish Museum of Natural History’s live wildlife feed, Yle reports.

The lynx inspected two eggs in the nest but did not eat them, while the female osprey—identified as Rosa—repeatedly dove at the predator in an attempt to drive it away. It remains unclear whether the eggs survived the encounter, as the lynx pressed against the nest while evading the bird’s attacks.

Jari Valkama, curator at the museum’s Luomus biodiversity centre, described the behaviour as highly uncommon. “As far as we know, lynx visits to osprey nests have never been documented in Finland before,” he said. The nest, one of six under live surveillance, is located roughly 6–7 metres above ground, demonstrating the animal’s climbing ability.

Valkama speculated that curiosity may have drawn the lynx to the nest. “It sniffed the eggs for a long time but didn’t try to eat them—perhaps because eggs aren’t part of a feline’s typical diet,” he said.

Earlier recordings from the same camera captured sounds of a struggle on the ground before the lynx’s appearance, possibly involving a raccoon dog, though Valkama cautioned that this remained unconfirmed.

The museum’s osprey live feed, now in its tenth year, has previously documented predation events, including attacks by eagle owls, ravens, and goshawks. Last year, an eagle owl killed a female osprey named Taika at the same site. Authorities do not disclose the exact nest locations to prevent disturbance.