Osprey Behaviour.

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triker1
triker1's picture
Osprey Behaviour.

Hi,

I've been observing an Osprey nest for the last couple of weeks. I've only seen one Osprey at the nest on all days except one day when there were three and another day when I didn't see any. The one I see disappears for a short while about every 30 minutes and comes back with new nesting material so I'm guessing it is still building the nest and hasn't layed yet, although it does often spend time sitting in the nest. There's also a pair of small BoP's (possibly Australian Hobby) nesting in a tree right next to the Osprey.

The Osprey defends the area vigorously from WBSE's and will chase them until they are out of my sight but it doesn't care about Whistling Kites or Brahminy Kites that often go very close to the nest. I wonder why it sees the WBSE's as a threat but not the others.

It's a great way to waste a few hours sitting in sun and taking photos (the photos aren't very good because I'm too far away and only have a 300mm lens).

John

Woko
Woko's picture

Hi John.

What interesting observations!

I had a poke around in the Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds & read that breeding occurs from April to September but sometimes into November. The male Osprey brings nesting material to the female which then arranges the material into a new nest or refurbishes an old nest. On laying, the female incubates while the male brings her food & continues to do so until the nestlings are older when both parents will seek food for the young.

Curiously, the RDCBAB says that Ospreys don't seem to compete with White-bellied Sea Eagles as the latter species has a much more varied diet than the Osprey which feeds mainly on fish. However, they possibly compete for nesting spots so this might explain the competition you've observed between the two species.

Thanks for arousing my curiosity!

triker1
triker1's picture

I love the RDCBAB, got my copy in 1978 as a Xmas gift from my mother. It's falling apart but I still use it a lot.

This osprey seems to go against the norm, I have heaps of shots of it in battle with a WBSE but they're so far off in the distance they're next to useless except for my memories. Also differs in that it is collecting its own nesting material. I shall keep watching and see what happens.

John

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