The North Beach osprey is still around

The North Beach osprey which I wrote about and photographed in December 2007 is still around in exactly the same area. It's fairly common for the young male ospreys to roam around the coast in their younger years, so I'm not sure if this one has a mate.

This morning he was having a great time feeding on what looked to be an Australian Herring (aka Tommy Ruff). Now that the Autumn waters of the Indian Ocean are cooling down, the Herring are running and the local fishermen are trying their luck.

Are rising sea levels changing this Perth beach?

This was a sandy beach six months ago. You can see that the rocks in the foreground have recently been exposed as the sand has been washed away. Water levels seem to be higher than they were last year. No one really knows why and the locals say this has never happened before.

Mettam's Pool was once a sandy beach and a sheltered rock pool, well protected from shark intrusion. The area has long been a favourite safe swimming spot for children and oldies. Now just getting into the water is becoming treacherous.

I will revisit in November, at the end of our winter, to see how the sand is faring.

Osprey Revisited

Again today the osprey was around North beach. These photos show how close he is to the the beach front houses.

Osprey of North Beach

This osprey is a frequenter of the rocky headlands around North Beach in Perth Western Australia.

A pair of osprey established a nest around Trigg Island this year. This individual is one of that group. I've seen him there several times in the last week, often on this same stump which is not far from the bike and walk path along West Coast Drive.