Bird Watching: OSPREYS! The new season is underway., 1 by MargaretK

MargaretK wrote:
It's hard to believe that the new season has begun. We're only two weeks into winter. The Ospreys have been bringing sticks to the nest over the last few days and both adult birds, known to us as Big Hook and Dad, have been spending a lot of time at the nest. Yesterday, I received a call from the mysterious Madame X, who lives overlooking the nest, to say that mating was taking place - frequently.

I went to the nest this afternoon and wasn't disappointed. Although I didn't see her I could hear Whopper, the single surviving Osprey young from the 2010 season, calling from a tree nearby and shortly thereafter, Big Hook and Dad arrived on the nest and started mating. It was all over within a few seconds. Big Hook then flew up onto the right hand branch, where she remained until I left at about 4.45pm and Dad flew straight down to the bay and out of sight.