A Redlands celebrity osprey chick has chosen the first day of spring to take its first flight.
The osprey fledgling has taken its first tentative flight from its nest atop a 20m nesting pole built by Redland City Council at Wellington Point.
Deputy Mayor and local councilor Wendy Boglary said it was thrilling to see the first flight of the newest member of the osprey family.
“We were all waiting expectantly to witness her first flight, which occurred on the first day of spring,’’ Cr Boglary said.
“The newest family member has not been as easy to spot this year, so it was quite exciting when she emerged from the nest.
“The osprey family has become quite an attraction and is very popular with locals.’’
The osprey’s first flight was photographed by Wellington Point resident Trevor Linton, who described it as a special moment.
“The day before, I saw the chick standing on the eastern edge of the nest flapping its wings like crazy. It still had baby fluff on its wings as was presumably trying to clear it and exercise,’’ Mr Linton recalled.
“The next day it did the same thing and then just took off. I am pretty sure it was its first flight. I had my Nikon D4 with a 600mm lens and was able to capture it – it lasted for about four-and-a-half or five minutes.
“Last year’s fledgling was sitting in the nest watching and then it landed back in the nest and just sat. I thought it was brilliant.”
Council’s environmental adviser Candy Daunt said the family had made itself at home in the new nest.
“Modifications to the nesting cradle earlier this year have provided a safe and stable nest for our popular osprey family,’’ she said.
“Observers should view the osprey family from the seat across the road and not disturb them - so as long as they are not disturbed in any way they should call it home for years,’’ she said.
The ospreys are part of a citizen science project centred .
“The aim is to identify and map the nests of eastern ospreys, white-bellied sea eagles and brahminy kites,’’ Ms Daunt said.
“Awareness of our raptors has increased thanks to the Wellington Point osprey family and the success of the nest pole project.’’
An initiative of Redland City Council, Birdlife Southern Queensland, the Birds in Backyards Program and the Atlas of Living Australia, the data collected will help the management of areas where the birds nest. It will also help to fill gaps in information about the birds and their nesting behaviour.
If you want to be involved, you can register at www.ala.org.au<http://www.ala.org.au>. Type “biocollect” into the search box and then search for Redland to find local projects.
The osprey pole was erected last year when the tree the birds were nesting in had to be removed because it had become dangerous.
