A pair of ospreys has made the first breeding attempt for nearly 200 years in southern England.
Conservationists are thrilled to learn that a pair at Poole Harbour, Dorset has produced an egg. They are keeping it safe at a secret nest. Nest cameras allow viewers to watch the female osprey hatch her egg. on a livestream.
Birds of prey used to be common in western Europe. However, they were driven from their habitats by humans and became extinct locally in the 1800s. Their nests were once plundered for eggs and the birds were shot for taxidermy. They are still shot regularly for sport in southern Europe today.
Since 2017, experts from the Roy Dennis Foundation have been Birds of Poole HarbourThey have been trying to reintroduce them into southern England by relocating adult birds from Scotland. After decades of conservation efforts, there is now a large breeding population at Rutland water in the Midlands.
Paul Morton, Birds of Poole Harbour, said: It is amazing to know that there is now an osprey nest in Poole Harbour. This is the culmination seven years of hard work. Although these projects are not easy, it is worth the effort. It is amazing to see CJ7 hatch her first egg.
Both of them have much to learn as they become parents and breeding success is not guaranteed. However, all they are seeing right now is positive and they will soon be feeding their newly hatched fledglings.
It is hoped that the pair will produce another egg over the next few days, then a 35-40 day period of incubation beginswith the possibility for osprey chicks to hatch by late May.
Poole Harbour was chosen to host the project due to its abundance of fish for birds. Ospreys have been known from other parts of the UK to pass through the harbour as they travel to Europe via the migratory route. They stop at the harbour to hunt grey mullet, flounder and other fish in the large shallow channels and bays.
The pair flew to West Africa last autumn. The Birds of Poole Harbour team had to wait seven months to see if they would return. The birds’ passage to Africa is fraught, with adverse weather conditions and illegal hunting. Both birds arrived in this month’s beginning and have settled down to breed.