news, local-news,

Central Coast Stadium is now home to two osprey chicks. The city council and stadium staff are delighted about this. Eastern ospreys are an endangered species, so they're happy to have contributed in some way to the ongoing survival of the species. There had been some concern about the birds because the nest had to be moved. This followed an entire ticketed bay having to be closed because of bird poo and debris falling from the nest onto seats below [hopefully no eggs!], where people sit during Central Coast Mariners games. In June, the council installed a reinforced platform for the birds to move into. This platform was only metres away from their original home. "In the last couple of weeks, stadium staff and patrons have been able to hear the cries of the hatched chicks as they pester mum and dad for their favourite food - fish," stadium manager Kath Kasey said. Central Coast mayor Lisa Matthews was pleased that the decision to "invest in creating a new nest" had paid off. "Eastern ospreys are listed as a vulnerable species in NSW, meaning they face the risk of extinction in the medium-term future." She was chuffed that the council managed to balance the nesting needs of the birds with the needs of the stadium. She hopes it's the start of many successful breeding seasons to come. Ospreys have been living at the stadium for about five years. With Brisbane Water and its supply of fish right next to the stadium, it's no wonder the birds have taken up residence there. Perhaps the Central Coast Mariners need a name change to the Central Coast Ospreys. Not sure that would go down too well with Mariners fans, though. Speaking of fishers, Elermore Vale's Tony Davis told us a bit about his life growing up at Cooks Hill. He recalled that one aspect of his days as a youngster involved "sloggin' mullet". What, we wondered, did he mean? "Small or poddy mullet lived in the stormwater drains that ran through Cooks Hill," Tony said. "We armed ourselves with a long piece of fencing wire - some even had a handle from a piece of old broom," he said. "We would climb down the side of the concrete drain and walk along the bottom. Small mullet and very occasionally an eel would be swimming there. "We would belt the small mullet and often cut them in half." He said they were good for cat food or bait. "Sometimes our parents knew where we were and sometimes they didn't." Also on fishing, Ray Dinneen recently noticed Santa dropping a line in Newcastle Harbour. Yep, it's that time of year again.

https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/3AijacentBN9GedHCvcASxG/2182854b-3f52-4a5c-88f2-a342c831e48b.JPG/r0_314_5184_3243_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg