These handsome birds have a global distribution occurring in all continents except Antarctica, they tolerate a wide variety of habitats and will nest in any location near a body of water and providing an adequate food supply. Our area provides excellent habitats for them on the coast and islands and we have healthy populations, there is an occupied nest in the car park at Rosslyn Bay and you can sometimes see them hunting in Ross Creek or the Kinka wetlands.
Ospreys, and all large Raptors, are very susceptible to environmental degradation so their presence is a sign that our marine environment is quite healthy, we would be wise to keep it that way. Worldwide experience has shown that numbers can collapse dramatically and are difficult, if not impossible, to restore. Live fish comprise almost the whole of the their diet and they typically take fish weighing 150–300gm and about 25–35 cm long but can be much heavier, the fish in the photo is well over 300gm and is an indication of how powerful these birds are. The nest is made from sticks and driftwood high on a cliff, a dead tree or man-made structure and because it is often used by the same pair over many years it becomes quite large.