Ospreys swoop back
By Tony Spencer-Smith

Ospreys, one of the great hunters of the seas, could be making a comeback in New South Wales. Initial indications from a comprehensive new survey this breeding season are that the number of known active nests in the state is around 100, nearly double that found in the last survey in 1988.

Osprey nests are easily recognised by their size and shape. Photo Michael Murphy DEC

The osprey (Pandion haliaetus cristatus), which rides the wind looking for fish and then dives for its slippery prey, is listed as vulnerable in NSW so it is important to keep track of how well it is breeding.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (now part of the Department of Environment and Conservation) designed the project and contracted Peter Ekert of Ekerlogic Consulting Services to carry out the survey. The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife is providing the funding.

Information gained from the survey will be used by the Department of Environment and Conservation to prepare a recovery plan for the osprey in NSW.

The project has been greatly helped by the enthusiastic response from the public to the appeal to report nests.

In July Peter Ekert started "ground truthing" the information he received. He checked every reported nest except in areas where very active bird groups have been keeping reliable records. Sometimes, he has found unreported nests. "On our first field survey we were looking at the Clarence estuary system at Grafton. On Goodwood Island we successfully checked out a recorded nest, then spotted another one on top of a power pole only 400 metres away, right in the middle of a canefield."

Ospreys nest mainly in trees at least 30 metres high. They are vulnerable because so many forest giants have been lost to coastal development. Usually the sites are near estuaries as the ospreys prefer fishing in calmer waters.

"Ospreys mate for life and, barring catastrophe, keep the same nest." Peter Ekert says with the birds adding new material each year, the nests are huge with sticks sometimes piled up to 1.5 metres thick. The nests can be 1.2 metres in diameter. He suggests that another reason more nests were found in this survey is that people are now more aware of ospreys.

On the other hand, the birds have certainly benefited from the artificial nesting sites erected in a number of places. People visiting Grafton or Ballina can see ospreys nesting in the very heart of the towns on platforms erected on top of 40 to 50 metre high poles.

Occasionally ospreys also nest on cliffs or buildings. A few months ago Marine Parks Officer Hamish Malcolm reported a nest on the ground on Solitary Island off Coffs Harbour.

Peter Ekert is an ornithologist with a lifelong interest in birds. He spent more than two years on the Olympic site at Homebush Bay advising on the impact on the birdlife in the area. "The site is a better place for birds than it was before, when it was one of Sydney's wastelands."

He says that although most of the work on the survey has already been done, he wants people to let him know if they spot chicks or adults that have been banded. They can phone him on (02) 4950-0573 or (0410) 566104, or email him at peter@ekerlogic.com.au.

Mike Murphy, the osprey survey coordinator for the Department of Environment and Conservation, says there are other ways in which people can help these magnificent raptors. Property owners can protect nest sites and potential nest sites, like large trees in prominent positions within 2 km of coastal waters.

People should also carefully dispose of unwanted or discarded fishing line and other refuse that might entangle wildlife, and observe fishing bag limits to conserve fish stocks.

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