Re Marnix's Osprey question - I'm at Jervis Bay on the south coast of
NSW and over the last four years I've seen Ospreys at Currarong on the
northern side of Beecroft Peninsula (the north head of Jervis Bay) on a
few occasions, once with two birds enagaged in talon-tangling
pre-courtship/territorial display(?) and on other occasions as single birds.
Inside Jervis Bay I've only seen single birds on two confirmed occasions
and one unconfirmed (flying away from me in bad light). Jervis Bay. Much
of the south coast is noted for the high population of White-Bellied Sea
Eagles (see the recent paper by Spencer & Lynch in 2005/ The Emu/
105(3): 211) and it has been suggested that Ospreys seen here are birds
dispersing from their parents territories further north. Notwithstanding
what would seem ideal Osprey habitat and foraging prospects on the south
coast, I and no-one I've spoken to has ever seen Ospreys frequently
enough to suggest that they have taken up residence and I've heard
nothing about breeding activity on the south coast. It has been
suggested (and I have seen WBSE agonistic behaviour toward an Osprey on
at least one occasion) that the WBSEs would drive them out of suitable
breeding areas - which from previous experience would be most of the
shoreline area in Jervis Bay and the nearby St Georges Basin.
I'd be interested in further sightings of Ospreys down this part of the
coast. The New ... Atlas shows regular reported sightings down the coast
and near/over the Victorian border and Breeding Records stop on the
north coast of NSW at about (?) Crescent Head. (Greg Clancy may know
more here)
Looking at the New ... Atlas it would be interesting to know more about
the status of the Adelaide breeding population - there appears to be a
dispersal of this population to the east and west of Adelaide (are the
few reports of birds in Melbourne from the NSW north coast or the
Adelaide breeding populations?) but there are large gaps (the Nullabor
coast to the west and the Victorian coastline to about Mallacoota
respectively) on either side of this population. Has anyone studied
these birds, particularly their genetics?
Cheers.
Robert Gosford
Jervis Bay
south coast NSW
wrote:
We spent this weekend in Bermagui which gave me the opportunity to
explore the area. Long Swamp is drying up again with little water left
and hardly any birdlife, while Bermagui Lagoon is full of water. On
Saturday along the Bermagui River Conservation Area I found a
*Striated Heron*, an *Osprey*, a pair of *White-bellied Sea-Eagles*
and a *Whistling Kite*. The Sea-Eagles were perched 100 metres from
the Osprey providing an opportunity to compare the 2 species closely.
In Bermgui Harbour there were 2 *Eastern Curlew* and some 70
*Bar-tailed Godwits*. With the cooler weather the massive Smooth
Stingrays seemed to have vacated the harbour and estuary leaving the
much smaller, but still dangerous, Brown Stingarees (5 counted in one
area). My dad stepped on one while wading Bithry Inlet in Mimosa Rocks
NP this week leaving a bleeding wound, although the pain had subsided
after an hour or so.
Barragoot Lake contained well over 500 *Black Swans*, surely the
largest congregation along this section of coastline, while Wallaga
Lake came close with over 300. There was also a single egret with
nuptial plumes present (most likely Little, possibly Intermediate)
among the* Pied Oystercatchers* and *Royal Spoonbills* in the distance.
On Sunday we walked a beautiful stretch of beach from Goalen Head to
Bunga Head (newly declared section of Mimosa Rocks NP) under an
overcast sky. No less than 6 Sea-Eagles present, 2 mature birds
perched high up the cliffs at Bunga. Nearby were 6 *Sooty
Oystercatchers* and a dark morph *Eastern Reef Egret* (There was also
a single bird present at Cuttagee Lake). A pair of *Jacky Winters*
kept us company in the car park.
Late on Sunday at Bingie we had great views of an adult *Spotted
Harrier* in the low vegetation behind Bingie Beach (Eurobodalla NP).
The Eurobodalla NHS annual report states this species is a rare
vagrant. On the drive home we stopped at Cabbage Tree Creek, this spot
is literally metres from the the noise and traffic of the Kings
Highway and yet we saw *Black-faced Monarchs*, a pair of *Large-billed
Scrubwrens* up super close in a clearing and nearby *Brown Gerygones*
and *Pilotbirds* were calling.
All up we saw 9 species of raptor over the weekend. Surely Bermagui is
as far south as Ospreys are seen these days?
Cheers
Marnix Zwankhuizen
NGUNNAWAL ACT
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