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Osprey nests at Rat Park
For a couple of years, I’ve been reading about the Ospreys that nest high on the lights at Rat Park in Warriewood, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. The birds have earned their fame by returning year after year to the same spot. They build their nests and raise their young in what seems an unlikely and uncomfortable perch, twenty metres above the playing fields. So I went to take a look at them.
Ospreys are magnificent birds, with their large size and impressive fishing skills. They’re listed as vulnerable in NSW. Their numbers were in decline until the 1970s, but the great news is that they’re on the rise now.
Here’s a close-up of the same Osprey on the lamp post:
This photo shows the same nest from the other side:
Zooming out to show the playing field and the 20-metre lamp post with the nest on top:
There were nests on top of a couple of the other lamp posts too, but no Ospreys tending them while I was there.
Here’s a front view of the Osprey with the sun behind it:
I’ve been lucky enough to see Ospreys a few times, most often at the Long Reef Aquatic Reserve in Collaroy. The Manly Observer has reported on the Ospreys of Rat Park, and they’ve featured on several other sites including Facebook.
Common name: Eastern Osprey
Scientific name: Pandion cristatus
Approximate length: 57 cm
Date spotted: 4 April 2025 (autumn)
Location: Rat Park, Warriewood, New South Wales, Australia: 33°41’50.6″S 151°18’21.8″E
Osprey chased off by raven and noisy miners
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
Birds galore at Long Reef Aquatic Reserve, Collaroy
Last week I spent a couple of hours at Long Reef Aquatic Reserve in Collaroy, NSW. I was there just for a walk with my partner, but I was delighted at the number and variety of birds we encountered.
First up were two raptors, a real treat to see. A Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillarus) hovered in the air, effortlessly riding the currents and looking out for prey:
An Eastern Osprey (Pandion cristatus) soared in circles, grasping a half-eaten fish in its feet:
I’ve written a separate post about these two birds, a third raptor, and some paragliders who shared the air currents with the kite: Three raptors in one day.
Huge Pelicans (Pelecanus conspicillatus) perched on the lampposts and glided above my head. Here’s one of them, looking sad and wise:
Another post has more pictures of these magnificent birds: Three pelicans on a lamppost.
A female Darter (Anhinga melanogaster) sat on a metal structure above the beach, surveying all the action with a cautious eye:
Silver Gulls (Larus novaehollandiae) wheeled around the fishermen at the edge of the rock plate:
Australian Ravens (Corvus coronoides) picked through the stranded seaweed in search of a snack:
Here’s a close-up of one of the ravens:
Fish skulked in a nearby rock pool:
A crab came out from under a rock, ready to dash back in at the slightest sign of danger:
A White-faced Heron (Ardea novaehollandiae) patrolled the border between land and sea:
On the grassy headland above the beach, a Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca) owned the land. These birds are also called Peewees, because of the loud shrill call (peeee-wheee) that they make whenever a person or anything else comes too close:
To close off with, here are a couple of shots showing the colours and serenity of the Long Reef Aquatic Reserve that afternoon. First, looking from the rock plate towards the land:
Then looking out to sea:
Three raptors in one day
A few days ago, I was super lucky: I saw three birds of prey in one afternoon. The first was an Eastern Osprey, holding a fish in its claws. The second was a Black-shouldered Kite, hovering above the grasslands near the beach. For a short time, there were two of these birds quite close to each other. The third was a Peregrine Falcon, soaring in the sky above the suburbs.
Eastern Osprey
The Eastern Osprey was exciting to see. It was quite large, flying high in the sky above Long Reef Aquatic Reserve in Collaroy. At first I thought this large bird was one of the pelicans that were floating about. When I saw it through my camera lens, I spotted the fish in the bird’s grip.
The next picture is fuzzy and only a partial shot of the bird, but it gives a good idea of the colouring of the underside:
The next picture shows the Osprey’s long wingspan — about 1.5 metres. The bird is flying away from the camera:
Common name: Eastern Osprey
Scientific name: Pandion cristatus
Approximate length: 57 cm
Date spotted: 24 March 2024 (summer)
Location: Long Reef Aquatic Reserve, Collaroy, New South Wales, Australia: 33°44’19.7″S 151°18’42.0″E
Black-shouldered Kite
Nearby, a Black-shouldered Kite hovered above the grassy, bushy stretch that runs along the coast. It was amazing how the bird hung almost motionless in the air, held aloft by the air currents:
The next photo shows a slightly different angle. It might be the same bird or a different one, as there were two in the area:
Also in the area were some paragliders, enjoying the same up currents as the birds. The gliders kept a respectful distance, and the birds didn’t seem worried at all, as you can see in the next video. The second Black-shouldered Kite makes a brief appearance part-way through:
Common name: Black-shouldered Kite
Scientific name: Elanus axillarus
Approximate length: 35 cm
Date spotted: 24 March 2024 (summer)
Location: Long Reef Aquatic Reserve, Collaroy, New South Wales, Australia: 33°44’19.7″S 151°18’42.0″E
Peregrine Falcon
On my way home, I saw a Peregrine Falcon soaring high in the sky. As I took the photo, the bird turned its head and looked down at me:
The images are fuzzy because my camera isn’t super powerful, but you can still make out the features of the Peregrine Falcon:
Common name: Peregrine Falcon
Scientific name: Falco Peregrinus
Approximate length: 42 cm
Date spotted: 24 March 2024 (summer)
Location: Allambie Heights, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’18.2″S 151°15’39.4″E
It’s not often that I see one of Australia’s birds of prey. To see three different types in one day was a raretreat.
Sydney Birder 