Bird Watching: They're ba-a-ack. Osprey season begins., 1 by MargaretK

MargaretK wrote:
I'm glad you've found the thread. I can't believe this is my third season watching them and posting, even though it's been less than two years.

GP, the winters generally are very mild, especially in comparison to the northern hemisphere. The Australian Alps get pretty chilly and the snow fields are very active at the present time. There really are snow fields in Australia. http://au.totaltravel.yahoo.com/promotions/ski/ However, with the exception of some parts of Tasmania the coastal areas don't get too cold at all. I assume that our ospreys need to start their season early so that chicks have fledged by the time summer hits with a vengeance, usually late December or early January (with variations). If chicks hadn't fledged by then, they'd be in danger of cooking to death on the nest, as osprey nests are invariably fully exposed.

This will give you an idea of what winter is like here. I took this shot this afternoon. These guys were out on the water for over two hours. Mind you, in deference to the cold, they were wearing wetsuits. When they first jumped into the water I could hear one of them laughingly say: "Ooow, refreshing!"

Lily_love, would there be any chance of you having an osprey platform constructed in front of your place? Then I could go between ducs and your places. I don't know what impact the oil disaster in the gulf will have on your ospreys, but they may need every bit of help they can get.