A further comment on Ospreys from Angela Brady (I'm borrowing Peter Ekert's
email)
I was involved in parts of the Osprey survey Peter undertook (with a lot of
help of birders and community members) last nesting season (2003). The
survey found Osprey nests in most of the usual spots, plus a number of
reports of birds /nests outside of the core nesting distribution which
suggested resident families.
(i) A photo taken through a scope of 3 birds roosting in a dead tree on
Narrabeen Lake from Neil Fifer - perhaps adults and a juvenile?
(ii) Reports of birds nesting 20-30km west of Kempsey at Temagog and
Mooneba. I saw two birds in the former area and three at the latter in
February 2004, with local landholders reporting them as resident of the area
(the former for at least 40 yrs). Public access was a problem so the
locations remain unconfirmed (anyone keen for a canoe down the Macleay?).
However it confirms that Osprey are utilising faster moving fresh water
reaches of the river, with local fisherman targeting bass. [By comparison,
the Osprey in upstream Richmond and Clarence are found in the upper tidal
reaches of these rivers.]
(iii) My old boss at Singleton (scottish vet, Fergus Hay who last saw Osprey
in Scotland 1980s) reckons he's seen Osprey around the Glennies Creek area
just north of Singleton. While Fergus admitted his birding skills are
limited, once again its an area which has limited public access, and might
need a committed local campaign to locate Osprey. So the reports from
Chichester region are interesting!
Angela
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