I spent a very rewarding day of bird photography in the Northern Beaches area. I visited a number of sites on the day, but the photos are from two of those sites.
The first place I visited was Rat Park and Warriewood. I was interested in seeing how the Ospreys were going with their nest. When I arrived there was one bird on the nest. I think it was sitting on eggs.
I took a few photo, then I noticed another raptor in the park – a Nankeen Kestrel. It was perched on a light, and looked like it was hunting for food, so I moved closer. I was fortunate to get some nice photos of it –
At one point, the Kestrel was beings pestered by a Noisy Miner. The Kestrel tried to ignore the Miner, but they can be hard to ignore.
I then saw the kestrel take off and fly a long way off. Too far foe me to see what it was doing, but later looking at the photos, it appears to have met another Kestrel.
Then I spotted one of the Ospreys returning to the nest. I was hoping it would have a fish, but it returned with a stick. It added the stick to the nest.
it was the male that had returned.
The male then took off and did a short flight.
It then landed on the female’s back and they mated.
Then the male flew away. I thought it was probably hunting for fish, so I waited a fair while, but it did not return while I was there.
The Osprey has to break through a cordon of Magpies.
Meanwhile, the Kestrels. One flies in with a small snack.
It lands on a light. The other Kestrel is there, or is it their nest, or a chick?
That Kestrel then flew away out of the area.
The second site I visited was Long Reef. Here are some of the birds –
White-faced Heron
Pipit
Pelican
Crested Terns
Pied Cormorant
Ruddy Turnstone (there was only one)
I noticed one of the Crested Terns on the back of another. They didn’t seem to be mating. Perhaps this is their courtship?
Here are two White-faced Herons flying by –
And, as I was leaving, another Osprey appeared. It was cruising around.
And a last photos of more Pelicans –
