00:00A big bird delivering a safe haven for one of South Australia's rarest big birds.
00:10This new platform at Portneil, one of 18 across the state, for the endangered eastern osprey
00:15to call home.
00:17They're a substitute for natural nesting habitats eroded by coastal development and in some
00:21cases cliff collapses.
00:23All the coastline around here there aren't any big trees so any high places for them
00:28to nest.
00:29Unfortunately the shags also liked the place as a resting spot so they'd land on it and
00:35pull the nest bits and it became a bit of a tug of war.
00:39The conservation project takes a community effort in towns across the state.
00:45The structures are made by Men's Shed volunteers on the York Peninsula and others build the
00:49starters' nests.
00:50At Smokey Bay the oyster farmers, at one stage we had three oyster boats and crew out there
00:56giving us a hand and same at Streaky we had oyster boats, we had members of the community
01:03and at Portneil we had the Men's Shed there.
01:07It is thought there are only 50 pairs of eastern osprey in the wild in SA.
01:11When we put this tower in that we have now, within an hour and a half there were two ospreys
01:17sitting on it which was pretty thrilling really to think that we'd done something that was
01:22going to be helpful for them.
01:24These people now around SA know what an osprey is, they know that they're in trouble and
01:29that there is a commitment to helping them recover.
01:32The last platform for the season is being installed here at Talker South at Port Lincoln.
01:37The locals will be keeping a close eye on it in coming months, hoping for some eggs
01:41later in the year.
01:43The other platforms are already breeding success.
01:46The total number of chicks that the platforms have produced is 14 and there's no question
01:52at all that we wouldn't have an additional 14 osprey chicks flying around the environment
01:59if it weren't for these artificial platforms.
02:02The graceful birds are bringing tourists to small coastal communities.
02:06Right from the time I put the nest on the navigation pole everyone could, it was only
02:12like 200 metres out from the shore and everyone was going there and people were calling in
02:17and taking photos.
02:19We're all hoping we've got our fingers crossed for this year, a bit of a romance happens
02:23and we get to see some fledglings, yeah, it'll be good.
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