Hi Mike,
Ospreys have been regularly present on the NSW South Coast for nearly 30
years but this is the first report of them nesting. The southernmost
confirmed breeding in NSW was the pair that raised a chick at Narrabeen last
year. Prior to that it was Lake Macquarie, with an unsuccessful attempt
near Bensville, on the NSW Central Coast. There is a very old report of
Ospreys nesting at St Georges Basin in the late 1800s or early 1900s but the
possibility that it was a Sea-Eagle pair couldn't be ruled out.
An Osprey that I colour-banded near Maclean, on the Clarence River, North
Coast NSW, was first observed and photographed at Narrabeen Lake and then
observed some time later at Tabourie Lake, south coast NSW. Were you able
to see if either bird was colour banded? It would be good if you, or
another local observer, could check the legs of the adults for bands. If
banded there would be one coloured band on the right leg and two colour
banded on the left leg.
The species has certainly made a recovery in NSW but there is little
evidence that it had declined severely. It was probably always confined to
the north coast and this extension south may well be related to climate
change, or just a greater nestling survival due to more secure nesting sites
and legal protection.
Greg Clancy
|
