At Long Reef Headland today, an Eastern Osprey sat peacefully on a branch. Then an Australian Raven dived at the osprey, cawing and moaning. The resident Noisy Miners heard the fracas and joined in. After a few seconds, the Osprey decided enough was enough and took off to find a quieter spot.

Eastern Ospreys are magnificent birds. They measure up to 65 centimetres from head to tail, and have a wingspan of up to 1.7 metres. They eat fish, which they catch by diving into the water from a height and dragging the fish out of the water in their claws.

We first spotted this osprey perched on the edge of a cliff. Later, we saw it a few metres further on, in a tree high on a ledge above the beach.

Here’s the osprey enjoying the sun and the view, before the other birds arrive:

Then the Australian Raven arrived. Here the Osprey is warning the raven off:

That’s when I started the video recording, which you can watch at the top of this post.

Here’s the best picture I have of the osprey in flight:

Common name: Eastern Osprey
Scientific name: Pandion cristatus
Approximate length: 57 cm
Date spotted: 19 June 2024 (winter)
Location: Long Reef Aquatic Reserve, Collaroy, New South Wales, Australia: 33°44’19.7″S 151°18’42.0″E