An osprey eyrie with eggs, photographed on an Australian Ornithologist Union camp in 1906.

Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) have large nests composed of sticks and lined with seaweed. Although the nests are usually on a rock overlooking the sea they can also be found in trees. Breeding season is May to September. Sometimes known as the Fish-hawk due to its almost exclusive fish diet.

The bird is distributed around most of the world, but in Australia is not found in Victoria or Tasmania.

The Advertiser, May 21st 2008 p. 25, reported that the Osprey in South Australia was now considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Friends of Sceale Bay local convener Bob Minnican was quoted as saying: The West Coast's osprey was sensitive to human activity in its breeding sites. He said the bird's SA population had dwindled because of development near the coastline at and around Sceale Bay, where it builds its nests. Surfers, too, are increasingly being towed to the area's waters by jet skis and this would have further disturbed the birds, he said. "We understand that the loud noises from a jet ski are distressing the birds and we have called local authorities to put a stop to the actions," he said. "The birds have been filmed and photographed with chicks at the famous sea stack `The Island' for over twenty years but since the surf ski has been towing in and taking photos we fear the nest is failing.