March's bird of the month is the osprey
Ewan Auld spotted this large raptor riding the wind at Stanwell Park
The bird of the month for March is the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus).
This large raptor species is widely distributed across the globe and favours coastlines and large water bodies. As a specialised fishing species, Ospreys are relatively common on the Illawarra beaches, particularly to the south around Wollongong.
When fishing, they possess the remarkable ability to dive down into the water, completely submerging themselves, before resurfacing and taking off with their catch.
While sightings around Stanwell Park in the past have been rare, I recently noticed three birds riding the wind around the southern beach and headland.
I quickly set up my camera on the headland and was able to get some nice in-flight photos as they soared directly overhead.
