Osprey (Pandion Haliaetus): The Osprey use the same nest each year. It's a big nest on top of a man-made pole and they carry big sticks in their beaks. The nest is lined with grass, seaweed or bark. They pair for life or until one dies. They return to the nest each year and although they both fetch the sticks, the female will usually place them in the nest. She will remain on the nest most of the nesting time while the male fishes and brings food.

Osprey are excellent fisherman and dive headfirst with their wings pinned back, often catching very large fish. They have very big feet and long talons and will perch on clear branches as it's hard for them to balance otherwise.

I've spent many hours standing in a small creek outlet in the mouth of the estuary watching the Osprey and puzzling about their behaviour. I wonder why the male flies in with a huge fish and sits on the pole opposite the nest and takes ages to eat most of the fish while the female cries and cries. Only when there's a morsel left does he fly over and give her some. My best assumption is that he needs the energy to fish. But I also had the great joy of seeing him calling to her when she wouldn't come off the nest after the death of their chick. It was a beautiful day and he seems to calling 'come on, come on, come and fly with me'. Eventually she did and they were spectacular swooping up and down the estuary, calling, circling high and diving down along the surface of the water.

Having watched them again for hours this year I've decided that they're a great pair and they know exactly what they're doing. The female is nesting again and the male is flying fish around in around the clock. He obviously stashes some in the nest because he'll fly over and grab one and bring it to his pole to eat if the female is resting. Sometimes he's only gone for five minutes and he's back with a huge fish, holding it down with one powerful claw while it flaps. They have a morning routine which includes the female having short fly, a dive in the water and a bit of preening and then back to the nest for breakfast.

I'm quite sure they know who I am and the male will sometimes fly around my head with a fish, as though he's saying 'look at how clever I am, I've caught such a big fish!'

Currently the Osprey have one chick which they are fiercely protective of and devoted to. I've watched the female drive a Sea Eagle (much bigger than her), Whistling Kites and Crows away from the nest, seen her carry big sticks in her beak and place them on the edge of the nest so the chick can't fall out, (chicks don't fledge until 48 -76 days old) and tear pieces of fish off to feed the chick before herself.

The male flies a lot of very big fish in and sits opposite her to eat, starting with the head. He flies carrying them in one foot, sometimes swapping the fish from one foot to the other in midair. Occasionally he has a bit of a snack in midair. When the female cries loudly and piteously enough he flies the fish over to her. I imagine he needs a lot of energy to keep flying in fish while the female is mainly on the nest, with the occasional loop around and back to the nest.

I'm fairly sure they know who I am now and they're not bothered by me being quite close. They seem to have a number of different vocalizations which seem something like 'danger danger', 'bring me food NOW', 'I'm off to get food or going for a fly around', 'major threat, get down in the nest' and 'look at the big fish I've got, aren't I clever?'

In the photos near the bottom the female circles in with big sticks which she places quite carefully at the edge to the nest to prevent the chick from falling out. If the fall before they fledge they die. When the wind blows the sticks off she goes and get new ones and replaces them. She also moves them around and is quite deliberate in where she places them.

The chick is growing rapidly, he/she has gone from featherless, chocolate colored cute/ugly to feisty, hungry, fluffy and very very cute. Always hungry, he now calls for his dad to come with his fish and tries to scrabble up and see over the edge of the nest. He seems to also sleep quite a lot and he's starting to flap his wings in the nest. One of the many interesting things I've noticed is that the Osprey, including the chick, never defecate in the nest. They crouch down and arc it out over the nest onto the ground, very clever I think. Their waste is in one stream, they don't urinate separately.

The chick is now a juvenile of approx 6- 7 weeks and his parents are leaving him on his own in the nest more frequently. He flaps his wings vigorously in the nest and cries out but I don't think he's fledged as yet. His parents now take it turn to bring back fish for him and often sit on the pole nearby, perhaps hoping he's take that quantum leap and fly over. A few days later and he's really flapping his wings, crying out, going to the edge of the nest and peering over and taking little hopping flights in the nest while mum watches nearby.