Now that our new Osprey cameras are up and running and being live streamed in goodness knows how many houses, offices and classrooms across the country, we thought it would be a nice idea to provide an overview of last year’s events, providing significant dates relating to various milestones during the season. To complement this information, our volunteer Alison Copland has compiled a wonderful video which features multiple heart-warming, funny (and some not so funny) sequences that have been clipped from last year’s live stream.

We estimate it’s only between 10-15 days until our pair could return back, possibly even sooner considering how strong the wind is that’s currently coming up from southern Europe over the next week. These strong winds could provide perfect migrating conditions for many migrating birds, not just Ospreys, as they use the tail wind to travel across larger than normal areas on route back to breeding grounds.

Having watched the video multiple times since Alison sent it to us, it’s easy to forget just how eventful, exciting and fascinating last seasons escapades were. We hope you enjoy the video and are keeping everything crossed for another (even better) successful year.

For reference, below the video is a list of significant dates from last year’s breeding season.

Poole Osprey Season 2022 Overview Film

Poole Osprey Season 2022 Overview

• April 5^th – CJ7 arrives back and lands on her new nest platform
• April 10^th – 022 arrives back and joins CJ7 on new nest platform
• April 23^rd – 1^st egg is laid
• April 26^th 2^nd egg is laid
• April 29^th – 3^rd egg is laid
• 31^st May – 1^st egg hatches
• June 3^rd – 2^nd egg hatches
• July 4^th – chicks are ringed
• July 23^rd – chick 5H1 fledges
• July 25^th – chick 5H2 fledges
• Aug 3^rd – un-ringed Osprey ‘notch-wing’ lands on the nest for the first time
• August 5^th – Goshawk attack on chick 5H2
• August 8^th – chick 5H2 sadly died
• August 24th  – 5H1 migrated
• August 28^th – CJ7 migrated
• Sept 10^th – 022 migrated

After a long, cold winter, and months of anticipation, we’re thrilled to announce that our new and improved Poole Harbour Osprey nest cameras are now LIVE.

Last summer saw the historic moment that our Osprey pair CJ7 and 022 raised the first two Osprey chicks in southern Britain for nearly two centuries. The season and spectacle was enjoyed by many thousands of people and we hope that this year will excite and inspire even more.

It’s been a busy winter, with our team building new Osprey nest platforms across the area, servicing the old ones and planning for the year ahead. A major part of our work this winter has been to look ways we could improve the experience for people tuning in online to watch Dorset’s celebrity Osprey couple. Last year we were incredibly lucky, as we had only decided to place a camera on this particular nest as a ‘backup’, after the pair were seen visiting on a few occasions the previous autumn. With only limited time available before they returned we rushed to get a camera in place at the very last minute, and hence the camera quality and position ended up being not as good as the one on their original nest. However, we were incredibly relieved that we had managed to get something in place, as when CJ7 returned less than a week later she went straight to this new site, without even bothering to return to her previous nest. Once she’d settled at this new site, it was only a matter of time before 022 joined her on April 10^th 2022, and the pair took straight to making this new nest their home for the season.

Having completed a successful breeding season at this nest site we expect that (all being well) CJ7 and 022 will return to breed here once again later this month or in early April. With this in mind, we wanted to make sure that if and when they do return, viewers are able to experience the best possible views of the pair through all the exciting moments milestones that come throughout the spring and summer. To cater for this we’ve worked hard to make some major system upgrades. Firstly, this year, there isn’t just one camera but two! Last year’s camera has been repositioned so that it looks straight down into the nest, whilst a brand new second camera has been added, providing a more scenic landscape view. Secondly, and best of all, we now have sound! This will make such a difference to the story this year, not only allowing us to hear the social and interaction calls between CJ7 and 022, including him ‘skydancing’ way above the nest, but also to capture the amazing moments when the chicks start calling and food begging. And so everything is now in place for what we hope will be a brilliant 2023 season.

New Poole Harbour Osprey Nest Camera – Landscape View

New Poole Harbour Osprey Nest Camera – Aerial View

Original 2020 & 2021 nest-camera update

A large part of managing Osprey nest sites is not only monitoring the general Osprey activity, but also looking out for any changes in behaviour and evaluating any future risks. In 2020, just as lockdown kicked in, many of us were transfixed and absorbed in the beginnings of CJ7’s story and her efforts to try and establish as a breeding female. This saw her take up residence on her original nest at another site within the Poole Harbour area, which also had a webcam on it. As lockdown progressed more and more people began tuning in, watching CJ7 as she patiently waited for her mate to arrive back. Sadly, he never did and CJ7 spent the rest of the summer touring the harbour, occasionally visiting the nest site, idly waiting for the days to grow short, before she then left on migration in late August. The following spring she returned, and met her now mate, 022, on May 18^th 2021. The pair quickly settled on the original nest, and although 022 was too young to breed that year, hopes were raised the pair would develop their bond during the summer and return the following season to make an attempt. During 2021, the original nest camera provided a fascinating insight into the pair bonding between CJ7 and 022, seeing them even make several celebrity appearances on multiple online programs and TV news channels.

Throughout this period we visited the original nest site many times to observe the birds and also had a security device installed close to the nest, to log and record any disturbance issues. Despite the birds’ initial liking for that site, it soon became obvious that there were a number of general trespassing issues at that particular location. We think that this was a key determining factor in the pair abandoning the original nest site in late summer 2021 and settling at their new site in 2022. Despite our pair ‘moving house’ we were keen to know if the original site was still suitable for another pair to potentially settle at in the future, so we continued monitoring there during 2022 and unfortunately logged a few more incidences of general trespassing. The conclusion was reached that this was not a safe site to encourage Ospreys to breed at, and so this winter we made the tough decision to decommission that nest and camera. In the meantime, we have been looking for a safer location nearby to build a replacement nest, and the good news is we think we’ve found an even better spot on the same estate and are now liaising with the landowners with the hopes of rebuilding a nest here this coming autumn. We know that many people particularly loved the original nest and camera, and like us will have many fond memories of watching CJ7 and 022 (plus the Bourbon/Kit-Kat/Doughnut hiding Ravens!) on there and will be sad to see it go. However, we hope you’ll understand and share our view that the provision of safe nesting sites for Ospreys in Poole Harbour and ensuring their overall wellbeing must be our ultimate priority. We hope that being able to watch our pair continue their story via the exciting new camera setup will more than make up for this though, along with the knowledge that they may soon be joined by other birds establishing on the alternative nests we continue to put up around the harbour. Let’s not forget that this year we could see the return of some of our young Ospreys from the 2021 cohort return to the UK for the first time, and the Poole Harbour Osprey family will hopefully continue to grow with another year of translocation planned for this summer!

We can’t wait to watch the season unfold on the new cameras along with you all, here’s to hoping for the safe return of CJ7 and 022 in the coming weeks!

Following our update yesterday, we sadly received the news that juvenile Osprey 5H2 passed away this morning whilst in veterinary care. After sustaining injuries during a predation attempt made by a juvenile Goshawk on Friday evening, 5H2 was located by the Birds of Poole Harbour team and taken for emergency care at a local veterinary centre. She was then transferred to a specialist vet on Saturday morning where she received antibiotics and treatment to prevent infection in her injuries.

Despite given the best care possible, she died this morning due to those injuries, which in truth, was always the more likely outcome, but her resilience and strength over her final few days made us believe that there was at least some hope.

Thanks to everyone for their messages of support for the project, this is indeed a knock back for the season. However, when you place webcams on wild birds nest there will inevitably be scenes of nature that play out in their fullest that may shock or disturb. But these are just the realities and challenges wild birds face, including large birds such as Osprey. Since the predation attempt there have been no further signs of the Goshawk, so we assume it’s moved on. But it’s important to remember that the Goshawk, a magnificent species in its own right, was only doing what it knows best, which is to be the most efficient hunter it can be. We hold no animosity towards this young Goshawk, and just see the incident as unfortunate. Goshawk have been heavily persecuted over many years and are trying to make their own recovery which seems to now be coinciding with the return of the Osprey. And while we can’t rule out any future predation attempts again, the fact that Osprey, Goshawk, White-tailed Eagles, Peregrine, Marsh Harrier and Red Kite are now all visible again over Poole Harbour sky’s shows that times are changing and attitudes towards all raptors are improving.

Massive thanks to ‘Vets Now’ in Wimborne for 5H2’s initial care on Friday evening and ‘Anton Vets’ in Andover who cared for 5H2 over the weekend.

Thanks everyone for your support and sweet dreams ‘5H2’ x

It’s been a busy and difficult last 36 hours, but we wanted to provide a quick update for everyone on the condition of the younger Osprey chick 5H2, who was unfortunately at the receiving end of a predation attempt by a Goshawk on Friday evening. The juvenile Goshawk first put in an appearance on the webcam at around 18:30, before returning to the nest again at 19:40 and making an attempt at 5H2.

Despite CJ7’s impressive reaction to the Goshawk, our team were concerned for 5H2 and reacted quickly, locating her on the ground near the nesting tree. She had sustained a considerable wound to her flank which required attention, and so was collected and cared for at an emergency vet over Friday night, and transferred to a specialist vets on Saturday morning.

Currently, 5H2 is still in a stable condition in veterinary care, where she is being closely monitored. She has been administered antibiotics and pain relief for the muscle damage to her left flank, which will require further assessment and ongoing medical attention. In spite of the seriousness of her injury, she has been consistently alert and bright-eyed, which has provided some reassurance to our team. We will keep you updated when we have further information on her condition.

Juvenile female Goshawk seen on the webcam on Friday evening

The Goshawk is also known to have survived, but seems not to have returned to the nest site since the incident: hopefully deterred by CJ7’s reaction. It’s very important to remember that Goshawk have been historically persecuted, just like the Osprey, and have only begun expanding their range in recent years. The individual in this case appears to have been a juvenile female dispersing from their nest, which may have been local but could be somewhere much further afield. Goshawk are formidable hunters and natural predators of other young raptors such as Ospreys, but should not be demonised for their behaviour and recovery in a landscape when they have been wiped out. We hope that the events of Friday were just a one off with a juvenile trying its luck, but we have still put in a few mitigating measures on the site and are closely monitoring the nest, simply because of the importance of this particular Osprey nest in starting a new population. CJ7, 022 and 5H1 have all been seen since Friday, with no further Goshawk activity reported so far.

We want to say a huge thank you to Tim Mackrill, who has been providing fantastic support since Friday evening, our volunteer Jon Pollard who was monitoring the birds at the time and provided invaluable information to us, as well as the vets who have been helping us since Friday. Thank you all for you kind words and support, we’ll continue to update you as and when we can.

The two young Ospreys, which are identifiable by coloured leg rings “5H1” & “5H2”, took to the skies earlier this week at just over 7 weeks of age. It’s been nearly two centuries since Ospreys fledged from a nest in southern England, with the last known breeding attempt taking place in 1847 on the Somerset Levels. Since 2017, Birds of Poole Harbour and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation have been working to restore a breeding population of Osprey to the South Coast through a reintroduction project. This spring saw initial success for the project, with first breeding attempt made by Ospreys ringed CJ7 and 022. CJ7 went on to lay 3 eggs in late April, 2 of which hatched in early June. Since then, viewers have been eagerly watching the chicks develop through a livestream webcam. Both chicks are believed to be female due to their large size, with measurements taken during the ringing process in July. The video of the ringing of the chicks can be watched here. As the weeks progressed, the chicks could be seen preparing for flight, strengthening their muscles through regular wing flapping.

5H1 strengthening her wings for flight

The eldest chick, ringed 5H1, then fledged on the morning of Saturday 23rd July after days of making short hovering flights above the nest. She spent much of the day making short flights around the nest site, regularly coming back down to the nest and the surrounding perches. Webcam viewers then patiently awaited the fledging of the younger chick, ringed 5H2, which took place on Monday morning. Both chicks are now flying well and will continue exploring the nearby local area until they get the confidence to range further from the nest site.

5H1 giving the webcam watchers an upclose view!

It will still be another 4-6 weeks before the young birds make their first migration, typically travelling 4000km to West Africa to countries such as The Gambia and Senegal. As they continue to strengthen their flight and prepare for migration, they will still be provided food by 022, the adult male, who will bring fish back to the nest for them. As first-time parents, 022 and the female CJ7 have done a fantastic job of raising the two chicks, provisioning for them well and protecting the nest from any unwanted visitors.

Liv Cooper, Projects Coordinator for Birds of Poole Harbour, commented “This is truly a momentous occasion. It’s fantastic to see the hard work that has been put into restoring this species to its historical range finally coming into fruition. There’s still a long way to go to ensure that a sustainable and resilient population of Osprey continues to grow on the South Coast, but seeing these first steps has been a privilege.”

Activity on the webcam is likely to continue into September, so the charity recommends still tuning in to see the latest developments. They are also running a series of 30 Osprey Cruises through the last two weeks of August and early September, ready for peak passage of Ospreys moving through Poole Harbour on their migration. Dates and tickets for the cruises can be found here.

5H1 making a quick landing on Saturday 23rd July

Just like their parents and other Ospreys ringed in the England, our two chicks were each fitted with a metal BTO ring on the left leg and a plastic Darvic ring on the right leg, with the codes ‘5H1’ and ‘5H2’ for the eldest and youngest respectively.

It was immediately evident that our two chicks were in excellent condition and developing well as soon as they were in the hand. At 4 ½ weeks old the chicks were at the lower end of the target age range for ringing (generally 4-7 weeks old), so still retained some of their downy fluff and many of their true juvenile feathers are still developing. Despite being young however, both were very substantial in size, weighing in at 1.6kg and 1.5kg. In conjunction with their overall size and build, this leads us to believe that both chicks are female, though this is difficult to be certain of at such a young age. It is something we may be able to confirm from their behaviour post-fledging, but will not be absolutely certain of until they hopefully return as adults in two years’ time.

The two Poole Harbour 2022 Osprey chicks, 5H1 (left) & 5H2 (right)

A single egg also remained in the nest, confirming our suspicions that the third egg of the clutch never hatched. This is not uncommon for first time breeders: those of you following the success of our young female 014 during her first breeding season in Wales last year will remember that only one of her three eggs hatched.

CJ7 circled overhead throughout the process, keeping a close eye on proceedings. Meanwhile 022, who was off site hunting when we arrived, returned shortly after the chicks had been replaced in the nest carrying a slightly meagre fish which was nonetheless gratefully received by CJ7 and the hungry chicks. Given 022’s absence since the previous evening, as a precaution we additionally added some locally sourced trout to the nest when alongside the chicks to ensure they would be well nourished after their excursion.

We are especially grateful to Fraser Cormack, whose exceptional climbing abilities brought the chicks securely down to the ground and safely returned them to the nest within just 30 minutes. The safety of the birds is always paramount in all of our work and a great deal of planning went into making this a smooth process. One key consideration for many conservation projects at present are the risks of the transmission of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu). In this case, where a single nest was visited in a currently zero-incidence area, we were comfortable that there was no risk of transmission and happy to proceed in line with BTO and government guidance.

Our translocation project on the other hand, relies on visiting of multiple nests in quick succession in a much higher risk area in Northern Scotland, and movement of collected chicks to Poole Harbour. Given the present uncertainty surrounding the risks and the apparent spread of the virus, we have concluded that it would be irresponsible to go ahead with our Osprey translocation project this year. Not only could it risk the lives of the translocated birds and introducing the virus to the local area, it could also risk the safety of our breeding pair and their two wonderful chicks. Seeing them successfully fledge and eventually leave on migration to West Africa later this summer is our ultimate goal and this is where we will continue to focus our efforts for the rest of the summer.

Birds of Poole Harbour team with the two osprey chicks

It was a real privilege to be able to carry out the ringing today and we’re thrilled to be able to share the details of this momentous occasion with you all. We were prompted, as during many milestones this year, to reflect again today on the ongoing support the local and online communities has provided to us and how this would not be possible without your generosity and enthusiasm. Thank you for being with us on this journey so far and we hope you look forward to following 5H1 and 5H2 as they make their way into the big wide world!

The average egg incubation length for Ospreys is 37 days, though it generally ranges between 36 and 40 days. The hatching of their eggs is staggered, as with laying, but this can be affected by a behaviour referred to as delayed incubation. This is where the pair will reduce the initial incubation of the first egg to limit its development early on. This can bring the hatching times closer together, sometimes resulting in a less significant size and development difference between the chicks. In the first few days after hatching, this can be beneficial in helping the younger chicks get their fair share of food, as even a day’s difference in age is noticeable.

022 on the nest with CJ7 in the background

As potential hatching draws closer, incubation on the nest is going well, with 022 frequently relieving CJ7 from her incubating duties and spending a considerable amount of incubation himself. They’ve now got their changeovers down to a fine art, swiftly swapping who is incubating and making it more difficult to keep track of activity. Without being able to see their leg rings, we have to use other means of identification to monitor their behaviour. There are common differences between male and female Ospreys that can be useful. For instance, females can be up to 30% larger than males, having a bulkier body shape in comparison to the slenderness of males. With the right perspective, we can see the size difference between CJ7 and 022, but it’s not always obvious with the perspective that the camera offers. Females also tend to have a darker breast-band than males, as well as darker underwing patterning. This is also not often visible on the camera, with the birds tucked down in the nest to incubate the eggs. We therefore identify them most frequently using their head and facial markings.

Comparison of CJ7 and 022’s head markings

Over the last few years, many of us have become familiar with CJ7’s appearance. Her head markings are relatively well-defined and clean cut, with a notable “eyebrow” and central band of dark feathering leading up her forehead. Her facial features therefore appear quite pale on the camera, and, if you use your imagination, she has a square appearance to her head shape. It’s  also been noted by keen webcam watchers that CJ7’s eyes are brighter than 022, appearing more lemony yellow, whereas 022’s  are darker.

Comparatively, 022 has much darker facial features than CJ7. His forehead is heavily streaked and mottled, with intricate brown feathering extending further back up to his crown. Also noticeable is the prominent pale band beneath his eyes, which are deeper and extend closer towards the beak than on CJ7, which is surprisingly easy to spot at a glance. His head shape appears rounder and smoother than CJ7’s, giving a more oval impression than square.

It’s not always easy to see these features on camera, so we’ve put together these illustrations as a general comparison of the pair’s facial markings. Take them with a pinch of salt as they won’t be 100% accurate, especially as their facial feathers are easily moved and displaced, but they offer a guide to what you are looking for when watching the camera.

As always, thanks for reading and watching. Our next Q & A will be on Monday 23rd May, from 10-11am on the live YouTube chat, so we hope you can join us then! For now, we are looking forward to the end of the month, and hoping that CJ7 and 022 continue to keep up the great work of protecting the nest.

We’re incredibly pleased and proud to report that this season there are now three of our translocated Ospreys breeding and incubating eggs! Of course, only one of these nests is in Poole Harbour (or indeed England!), despite the main aim of the translocation project being to restore a breeding population on the South Coast. So what’s going on?

The translocation project is underpinned by a key behaviour that many birds display, know as natal philopatry. Put simply, natal philopatry means that the species is generally attracted to settle and breed in their natal area, often as close as possible as to the site they themselves hatched from. In migratory species like Ospreys, this is facilitated by their ability to imprint on (i.e. memorise and form an attachment to) their local area, which appears to occur after fledging and prior to leaving on migration for the first time. Through translocation, and by moving young birds before this period, we can manipulate this behaviour so that they are inclined to return to the area of their release site, rather than the area of their natal nest. This behaviour tends to present most strongly in male Ospreys, though plenty of females also show an inclination to return to their natal site. But, at the other end of the spectrum, some females disperse enormous distances, and two Poole Harbour translocated females, 014 and 019, have done just that…

014 and Z2’s chick, Blue 494. Credit to Darren Moore

Last year, we were delighted to report that 014 was the first translocated Osprey from the project to raise young: a single male chick, which was ringed Blue 494. For those not familiar with the story, 014 was released in Poole Harbour in 2018 and was first reported back in the UK in May 2020. We were delighted to hear of her return, though slightly surprised that the report had come from our friends all the way over at the Dyfi Osprey Project in West Wales! Over the next few months, she continued to make herself known in different areas of Wales, exploring potential territories (which is very typical of young Ospreys), and even ventured down to Devon for a brief period of time. The South Coast clearly wasn’t her cup of tea however, as she was soon back in Wales, and frequently being reported with at least one young male in tow.

It came as no surprise, therefore, that when 014 returned from migration in 2021, she made a beeline straight for Wales. She set up on a nest only a stone’s throw away from the Glaslyn site at Pont Croesor, with a young male (Z2) known as Aeron, who fledged from Dyfi in 2017. The fact that the new pair raised a chick together was momentous. It meant that our project was already beginning to fulfil some of its wider, more longterm aims, in creating a link between populations in Wales, Poole Harbour and Rutland. Excitingly, 014 and Z2 are back at their nest at Pont Croesor again this year, and we are very pleased to hear that they are incubating eggs. Without a camera on the nest yet, we are unable to know how many eggs are in the clutch, but time will soon tell.

019 and KS6 (Dinas) on their new nest. Credit to Darren Moore

The success in Wales doesn’t stop there, however. On Monday 9th May, we were absolutely elated to hear that a second Poole Harbour translocated female, 019, has also settled on a Welsh nest with a young male, and laid her first egg! The male is KS6, another Dyfi fledged male from 2018, known locally as Dinas. This is the first breeding attempt for the pair and it comes after an interesting couple of years of sightings of 019, both in the UK and in her wintering grounds.

019 was one of the females released in the 2019 cohort of translocated juveniles (along with 022!). During that season, she was certainly a late bloomer, being the last to reach milestones throughout the project, including flight within the pens, fledging and leaving on migration. She therefore appeared to have defied the odds when she was reported in The Gambia on the 24th December 2019; an early Christmas present for the team! We were pleased to hear that she had settled in Gunjur Quarry, which is a fantastic area to choose for her wintering grounds, perfect for hunting alongside dozens of other overwintering Ospreys. Since then we’ve received regular reports of her from The Gambia, providing insight into the other side of these birds’ lives.

Hopes were therefore high for 019 to return to the UK in 2021, and she did not disappoint, arriving back in early June. But, just like 014, she was first reported in Wales, this time putting in an appearance at Glaslyn. It was great to see her back and looking in excellent condition, and bizarrely within minutes of 014 and Z2’s nest. We had a sense of déjà vu and anticipated that this would not be the last time that 019 was seen in Wales. Fast-forward to 2022, and after putting in a first brief appearance at Llyn Brenig in North Wales on May 19th, here we are, with the fantastic news that 019 is incubating on a nest with KS6, on another Friends of the Osprey nest in the exact same valley as 014 and Z2!

So, why are these females turning up in Wales? As we previously mentioned, the imprinting bond to be drawn back to their release site is weaker in females than in males (though there are exceptions there, too!). Both Dyfi and Glaslyn are on a perfect migratory flyway for birds returning to and exploring the UK for the first time. When they reach Wales, another behaviour also comes into play, referred to as conspecific attraction: Ospreys are attracted to areas where a population already exists. Happening upon the Welsh nests would have given both 014 and 019 the impression that the local area was a productive site to find a nest and a mate, and later raise young. It also doesn’t hurt that there are so many surplus bachelor males in the growing Welsh population and plenty of available nest sites thanks to conservationists putting up new artificial nests. So it didn’t take long the two females to settle in Wales, and we shouldn’t be too surprised by this movement. Indeed, it was a very similar situation that caused CJ7 to be attracted to Poole Harbour, having fledged in Rutland. With an abundance of translocated juvenile Ospreys greeting her arrival in 2017, it was easy for her to be convinced that the area would be an excellent place to raise young.

All the pieces are therefore in place for the long-term success of the project, both with the nest in Poole Harbour paving the way to establish a new population, as well as connections being formed with Wales and Rutland. We couldn’t be happier or more proud of what has been achieved so far, and we’re extremely grateful for the teams across Wales and West Africa for their work and their updates on the translocated Ospreys. We can’t wait for the rest of the season to unfold, and will be following the progress of all three of our birds with avid excitement!

022 and CJ7 inspecting their first egg, now one of three being incubated

Our Osprey Diary provides a summary of Osprey activity in Poole Harbour this season. Please join us on our Osprey Camera YouTube livestream for our weekly Q&As on Mondays at 10-11am to ask any questions relating to the Osprey Project.

Monday 30th May

Today marks 37 days (the average osprey incubation period) since CJ7 laid her 1st egg, so we’re on tenterhooks! After a fairly uneventful few weeks, we’ve seen a definite increase in the attention they’re paying to the eggs in the last 48hrs, including lots of standing up to check on them and frequently turning them over. It’s very possible that this has been prompted by increasing vocalisations from within the eggs! We’ll be keeping a very close eye on their activities from here on in, particularly for changes to their feeding regime and movements around the nest.

Friday 6th May

The last two days have continued to be consistently good for the pair, with 022 regularly bringing in fish to the nest and supporting CJ7 with incubation. Today, he delivered a Grey Mullet at 10:40am, and another fish at 3:28pm.

A relaxed 022 (incubating) and CJ7 on the nest this afternoon

Wednesday 4th May

Another nice day with an Osprey seen from our Spring Safari Cruise this morning, soaring high over the Wareham Channel. 022 put in an appearance in the Middlebere Channel also this morning, so it could well have been him that we saw from the boat. The behaviour on the nest has continued well today, with both CJ7 and 022 contributing to the incubation.

022 incubating on the nest this morning

Tuesday 3rd May

CJ7 and 022 seem to be really getting into the swing of managing the nest now, with 022 taking on a reasonable amount of incubating duties. He took over shortly after 5 this morning, and was sporadically on the nest throughout the day, seen building up the nest and bringing in breakfast at 08:21am. 1 Osprey was also seen from our Spring Safari Cruise this morning, visible distantly from Swineham heading in the direction of the Wareham Channel.

Early morning incubation changeover

022 incubating with CJ7 resting beyond

Monday 2nd May

After a full night shift of incubating by CJ7, 022 seemed more than eager to take over early this morning. They carried on their recent pattern of frequent changeovers, though CJ7 rarely strayed far from the nest, often supervising from the adjacent branches. During early afternoon she seemed to grow tired of all this toing and froing, sitting firm in the nest each time 022 arrived. He eventually seemed to correctly interpret this as cue to go fetch some dinner, and returned with what looked like a Brown Trout at 5:20pm, which CJ7 quickly carried off.

CJ7 overseeing 022’s incubating duties

Sunday 1st May

Saturday 30th April

Today was notable for two reasons. Firstly, 022 started incubating the eggs for the first time, after a week of standing over them when CJ7 was away from the nest! This is really encouraging progress and should allow CJ7 more flexibility in her own routine (though she will still be predominantly responsible for incubation). Secondly, the Osprey Project was featured on this morning’s BBC Breakfast News! Liv shared all the latest project updates via a live video link whilst viewers enjoyed images of the pair on the nest. It’s wonderful to see our pair getting the attention they deserve and to be able to share their story with such a wide audience!

Liv & CJ7 live on BBC Breakfast News!

Tuesday 26th April

CJ7 laying the second egg

Saturday 23rd April

AFTER YEARS OF WAITING, IT FINALLY HAPPENED!! At 14:58 this afternoon CJ7 laid her first egg with a mate! After standing up to inspect and turn it, ten minutes later she lay down and began incubating (something she never did for her unfertilised eggs over the past two years)! At 15:17 022 arrived and actually tried to mate with her, until she stood up and revealed the treasure she had been guarding. It was a very touching moment to see him descend into the nest bowl and move gently around as he took his first inquisitive look. Once he had satisfied himself that it was indeed an egg and was indeed his, he departed and CJ7 resumed her incubation. Throughout the evening they were both on and off the egg, although it looks as though 022 could use some incubation practice… something we’re sure will come to him with time. Already we’re getting to see brand new behaviours not witnessed in Poole Harbour for centuries, such as a female settling down to incubate her egg overnight… what a reward and what a day!

CJ7 & 022 looking down at their first egg!

Wednesday 20th April

Some very interesting behaviour from CJ7 today, she seems to be spending a lot of time stood in the nest looking down into the bowl and moving small pieces of nest lining around… could she be preparing to lay?! She certainly hasn’t strayed far from the nest at all in the last few days. She also seems to be refusing mating attempts from 022, perhaps indicating that egg development is already underway. We’ll be keeping a very close eye on her in the next few days, to see if she continues preparing the egg cup or starts laying in the nest. A female osprey, presumably the one seen intruding yesterday, was seen this afternoon from Hyde’s Heath at Arne circling out over the Wareham Channel. It will be interesting to see whether her encounter with our pair encourages her to stick around.

CJ7 looking down into the nest

Tuesday 19th April

The big news today is that our young translocated female 019 has been spotted back in the country for the first time this year! She’s back in North Wales for her second summer, and making her presence known. She touched down on the Llyn Brenig nest just after half past 12, landing alongside their breeding male, LJ2. Interestingly this is a male which 014 (another of our translocated females now breeding in Wales) was seen with at the Dyfi nest in 2020. After this brief encounter 019 was quickly chased out of the vicinity by the pair, but will no doubt return to this and other nests as the season progresses. It’s wonderful to see her back for the second time and looking for nesting opportunities. Fingers crossed she find’s a male to pair up with in the coming months!

Back in Poole Harbour there was also an intruder about! An un-ringed female flew over the nest site and was seen off by 022. Two birds were later seen together over the Wareham Channel whilst CJ7 was on the nest, so presumably 022 and the mystery visitor crossed paths again. 022 later returned with a fish another fish for CJ7 which he handed to her on the nest. You can enjoy the moment from a different angle to usual in this video:

022 providing a fish to CJ7

019 alongside breeding male LJ2 at Llyn Brenig, North Wales

Monday 18th April

Another Spring Safari Cruise this morning, and another flyby from 022! He was out fishing in the Wareham Channel mid-morning when he was spotted by our boat-goers, carrying his second catch of the day. He took this off to a secluded corner of the harbour to have his half, before returning to the nest to hand the rest over to CJ7. The pair have been very active around the nest again, including during today’s Live Q&A session, which saw even more participation than usual thanks to the Charity’s Co-founder Paul Morton’s appearance on the Today show on Radio 4 this morning. Don’t forget to tune in to the YouTube chat next Monday at 10am if you have any burning questions about the project or our pair that you’d like us to answer.

022 with a fish over the Wareham Channel

Sunday 17th April

As many local people will be aware there was an illegal rave in East Lulworth overnight which could be heard all the way from the harbour! We like many people were concerned that the disturbance may negatively affect the local wildlife, including the ospreys. Fortunately however that seems not to have been the case: in fact we’ve seen a definite increase in the activity of both our pair around the nest, with lots of mating attempts and 022 taking a more active role in nest building. The only times he’s been away from the site have been to catch fish. There was an unfortunate incident this morning when he arrived with a small, still flapping fish, and during the hand over both birds let go! The fish quickly fell from the nest, leaving both birds looking down in bewilderment! Fortunately 022 went on to catch another three fish which they shared (fairly amicably) so no one went hungry. This is encouraging as we’re anticipating that a first egg may be laid in the next week or two, and want CJ7 to be in top condition.

CJ7 at sunrise

Saturday 16th April

It looks like the long-staying Middlebere female has finally departed, with no sightings since midday yesterday. Meanwhile, CJ7 and 022 are starting to look very settled on the new livestream nest. We don’t think CJ7 has left the nest site since 022 arrived six days ago on Sunday 10th April, as he has been provisioning for her and himself ever since he arrived back, and is doing an excellent job! This behaviour bodes very well for the season ahead, as should they breed he will be responsible for feeding the whole family, catching at least 4 or 5 fish each day.

CJ7 and 022 mating attempt

Friday 15th April

A stunning day in the harbour today meant perfect conditions for our pair. CJ7 took up her nest building duties once more, focusing her efforts on lining the nest cup with grass and moss, having built up the surrounding sticks to a considerable height now. Just after 11am 022 returned from the harbour with a medium sized fish and began a stunning Skydancing courtship display over the nest, his beautiful high pitched call carrying across the landscape. Though not the first time he’s done this each makes us quite emotional each time to hear this sound that’s been lost from our landscape for so long. His performance lasted for about four minutes, all the while followed by four inquisitive (and no doubt hungry) common buzzards. He then dropped quickly down to the nest and handed it over to CJ7 who took it to a nearby tree to feed. Just a few minutes later 022 was off again, an incredibly he returned less than 20 minutes later with another fresh catch, which he keep for himself. During this first fishing foray he was seen from another of our Spring Safari Cruises, along with an un-ringed female who returned with her breakfast to her usual spot on the Middlebere nest.

Un-ringed female landing at Middlebere

Thursday 14th April

Thank you all for your patience today whilst the new livestream camera was down. A power cut overnight had mean the internet connection had been lost. All back working again now at this new link! CJ7 and 022 continued their daily activities of nest building, mating and feeding. We weren’t short of opportunities to watch ospreys though, as the recent un-ringed female was perched on the Middlebere nest almost all day today, giving excellent views to visitors to Coombe Heath at RSPB Arne. She left on two occasions, both times returning with an enormous mullet which she ate in situ. She must be crossing paths with 022 on some of these hunting trips, so we wonder whether his presence might affect how long she stays.

Un-ringed female at Middlebere with Mullet

Wednesday 13th April

An early start for the pair today, with 022 appearing at the camera at around 5:30am, being replaced by CJ7 shortly after. 022 caught and made a fish delivery to CJ7 at 7:05am, which she then took away to eat off camera. We’ve seen some nest shaping activity again today and the pair have been on and off the nest throughout the day. 022 was seen over the Middlebere channel this morning, and it seems that there is at least 1 or 2 unringed birds still in the area.

CJ7 visits the nest early this morning

CJ7 (left) and 022 (right) on the second livestream nest

Tuesday 12th April

A rainy start to the day kept the pair hunkered down early on, and 022 didn’t hunt until shortly before 1pm, bringing back another flounder for CJ7 not long after. They’ve made a few mating attempts, and have been on and off the nest throughout the afternoon. An unringed Osprey has been on the Middlebere nest platform with a flounder for a large proportion of the day again.

Today, we’ve also released a new press-release about the impact of returning Ospreys and White-tailed Eagles to the local area. You can find it here.

022 (foreground) and CJ7 on livestream camera 2

Monday 11th April

The activity on the nest has continued today, with further mating attempts from CJ7 and 022 on the new livestream nest. 022 has brought at least 2 fish to the site today, offering a share to CJ7 and continuing their bonding. He was active on the nest this morning, even doing some egg-cup scraping at around 06:41am. Elsewhere, an unringed Osprey was seen in Lytchett Bay today, and the large female that’s been seen recently on the Middlebere nest was present again this morning, with a huge fish in tow (likely a Mullet?).

CJ7 and 022 on livestream nest 2 this morning

Sunday 10th April 

022 HAS RETURNED!! Only 5 days behind CJ7, and 38 days earlier than his arrival date last year of May 18th! He touched down on the livestream nest at 09:16 for the briefest moment, before heading over to Arne where he perched briefly alongside an unringed female, watched eagerly by onlookers from our Spring Safari Cruise. As we returned down the Wareham Channel we were further rewarded with stunning views of him carrying a flat fish and briefly skydancing just over the boat. From here he flew north towards Wareham Forest circling higher and higher, which is when we think CJ7 collared him, as when she landed on another artificial the nest at 11:30, he followed only moments later still clutching his half eaten fish: our first sighting of them together since they both sat on the very same nest together on September 3rd last year!! We’re delighted to announce that over the winter we had another camera installed on this nest, and it’s available to view LIVE NOW on you Youtube channel:

Friday 8th April 

With the wind dying down, CJ7 spent the morning on one of the nest platforms today, though wasn’t reported to be seen any nest platforms during most of the afternoon. The unringed Osprey that was on the Middlebere nest yesterday was present again this morning, still seemingly working on a fish that was caught late yesterday! The same individual put in an appearance back on the nest later this afternoon, photographed by one of our motion-sensitive cameras.

Unringed Osprey – Middlebere Nest

Thursday 7th April

Just a few brief appearances made by CJ7 today, appearing shortly after 6am on one of the nest platforms she’s previously visited this year already, but left by 7am. Interestingly, she made her first appearance on the Middlebere nest platform this morning at 9:20am, leaving before an unringed Osprey landed on Middlebere nest with a fish. With more activity in this area today, the best place to view the Middlebere nest platform is from Coombe Heath at RSPB Arne. With the high winds today, conditions haven’t been ideal, so we expect that CJ7 has been largely inactive – hopefully we will see more of her tomorrow!

CJ7 lands on the Middlebere nest platform

Wednesday 6th April

CJ7 returned again to one of the other artificial nests in the early hours of this morning before heading off, presumably to the harbour to fish and explore. As many of you will remember from her behaviour in 2020 this is usually a very nomadic time for her and we expect she’ll visit all the artificial nests around the harbour over the next couple of weeks, hopefully including the livestream nest! Excitingly, CJ7 was seen from our Spring Safari Cruise this morning, before landing on the nest platform pictured below. Later in the day an Osprey was reported over Arne in the early afternoon.

CJ7 landing on a nest platform in the harbour

CJ7 from the Spring Safari Cruise – Wareham Channel – John Thorpe

Tuesday 5th April

The day we have all been waiting for has finally arrived! CJ7 returned, landing on one of our other artificial nests not long after 17:30 this evening.  She stayed on the nest for less than an hour before departing. It’s fantastic to see her back for her sixth year in Poole Harbour – could this be the year we have breeding success? We’re keeping our fingers crossed for the safe return of 022. Though she didn’t first appear on the livestream webcam, it’s still worth watching as she could put in an appearance at any time. You can find the link to the channel here.

Elsewhere, an unringed individual was seen feeding on a dead tree in Wareham Forest, as well as another bird photographed on the Middlebere nest with a fish at around the time of CJ7’s arrival.

CJ7’s return!

Monday 4th April

No sightings reported

Sunday 3rd April

Excitingly, an unringed Osprey gave a stunning flyby on our Spring Safari Cruise this morning. The same individual appeared to later put in a couple of appearances on one of our nest platforms shortly after 1pm.

Unringed Osprey – Wareham Channel – Mark Wright

Unringed Osprey – nest platform

Wednesday 30th March

During this morning’s Spring Safari Cruise, we had some of the first Osprey sightings of the season, with 2 seen during the trip. One of the birds was perched feeding in a dead tree on the Arne shoreline, while the other was seen in flight also over Arne as we cruised up the channel. Later that day, we received photos of a ringed Osprey Blue FE on one of the nest platforms. It’s likely that this individual is a 2012 fledged bird from Scotland, but we are awaiting confirmation.

Osprey ringed “FE” – PH Nest Platform

Tuesday 29th March

Glaslyn female hatched in 2014 An exciting day with the first appearance of an Osprey on the livestream nest – ringed Blue 8C. She first turned up in Poole Harbour last autumn on the 23rd August, and it’s fantastic to see her back again. Before this, she had only been seen as an adult three times: once not far away in Ringwood on the Dorset-Hampshire border in March 2019, and twice on wintering grounds in Senegal in October 2017 and November 2019. No one knows if she’s breeding somewhere but it’s really encouraging to see her again.

Blue 8C (Glaslyn, 2014) on livestream nest

Monday 28th March

Today we had the first Osprey sightings of the season! From reported sightings, there appeared to be 2 or potentially 3 Osprey in the area, with one catching a fish in the Wareham Channel around 8:30am, with a second seen in Lytchett Bay a few minutes later.

We always approach 1st April with baited breath, as it has traditionally been the return date for our resident female CJ7. And once again this year she did not disappoint, landing on our livestream nest for all the world to see at 1:31pm. She had amassed quite an online following during the spring of 2020 and many people were just as thrilled as we were to see her back. She immediately began repeating her behaviours of the previous year: collecting materials and building up the nest in preparation for egg laying. This year she outdid herself once again, however; producing not three, but FIVE unfertilised eggs! The only other documented case of this in the British osprey population was in 2015 at Glaslyn, when the female (Mrs G) produced five unfertilised eggs and subsequently two fertilised ones when her mate eventually arrived. Mrs G is an incredibly strong individual who has bred at Glaslyn for the last 18 years, so to see similarities emerging between her and CJ7 is very encouraging. 

The arrival of 022, our first translocated male to return from our 2019 cohort, on 18th May was a real game changer. Following his first encounter with CJ7 just hours after his arrival, the pair quickly became inseparable. All of a sudden we were considering the possibility that we could see our first ever breeding attempt this year! It seems it was just a little too late in the season however, because despite lots of ‘Skydancing’ courtship displays from 022 and numerous mating attempts no further eggs were laid. But in many ways this is the best result, as rather than being thrown in at the deep end as first time breeders they’ve had an entire summer to explore together and strengthen their pair bond. In fact, by the end of the season 022 was regularly catching fish and leaving them on the nest for CJ7 to eat, just as a mature male would do for his mate and chicks. If they do both return next year, their activities this summer will stand them in very good stead.

022 & CJ7 on the Livestream Nest

We did, of course, have other success early in the season, with 014 returning to Wales and pairing up with Z2 (Aeron), a 4-year-old male from the Dyfi nest. We were delighted to hear of the nest’s progress from the Welsh teams, especially of the news that the new pair successfully raised their first chick, a male ringed 494, who fledged on the 3rd August. In 2023 we will certainly be looking out for his safe return in addition to any translocated returnees. Fingers crossed! The great news from Wales also continued with the return of 019 for the first time; a young translocated female released during the 2019 season of the project. Following in 014’s footsteps (almost exactly!), she also headed straight for Wales, first seen on the Glaslyn nest on the 5th June. Hopefully we will see her back again next year.

Between mid-July and early September, we raised and released another 10 osprey chicks as part of our translocation project. This year, the cohort consisted of five males and five females, collected by our colleagues at the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation from Scottish nests in early July, and were ringed Blue 370-379. Along with the help of the local magpies, the juveniles ate their way through 10 kilograms of fresh trout each day, monitored all the while by the team via CCTV and radio-tracking equipment. All birds were released in early August, and they soon started exploring the release site and making themselves very audibly known, food-begging at every opportunity despite food being plentiful (and often right in front of them!).

Five of the Translocated Juveniles Feeding

Several days after release one of the females, 378, was recaptured as she had not been feeding herself. She was taken for a veterinary assessment but sadly died whilst in care. A post-mortem analysis showed that she had a fungal lung infection known as Aspergillosis, which is common amongst wild raptor species and notoriously difficult to treat. Despite this disappointing loss, the remaining 9 birds progressed exceptionally well and by late August were ranging far and wide. During this exploratory period they came across CJ7 & 022 on several nest platforms, which will have helped to reinforce their interest in breeding locally. We were also fortunate enough to see the juveniles practicing their hunting skills in the Wareham Channel from some of our Osprey Cruises. The first chicks left on migration on 6th September, the same day as CJ7 and two days after 022. The last chick, our smallest male 371 who was fondly nicknamed Wee Nippy, left on 12 September.

The season may be nearly over by we’re already busy making plans for next spring. On their travels this August CJ7 and 022 found several other artificial nests in the harbour and took interest in two of them, adding materials and displaying nearby. Given that their activity at the livestream nest significantly reduced towards the end of the season, we’re really not sure which nest they will favour next year! Over winter we’re hoping to fit livestream cameras to these other nests so that no action is missed, so please keep an eye out for a fundraiser launch on our website in the coming months.

Thank you to everyone who has watched the webcam, joined us on events, donated and supported our work this year. We really hope next year could be the one we’ve all be waiting for, but no matter what happens though we look forward to sharing it with you all! Until then, please enjoy this video summary of the season: