High drama on the Osprey nest today when a blue ringed female Osprey landed on the nest with 022, who wasn’t CJ7. The leg ring was quickly revealed as ‘1H1’ which tells us this is a 2022 female from the main Manton Bay nest at Rutland Water. This isn’t our first encounter with 1H1 as she actually visited the harbour several times last year, and even paired up with another of our males 374. Both 1H1 and 374 semi-paired up last summer and spent July and August touring the south coast looking for possible suitable nest sites. They took an interest in our Middlebere Farm nest, opposite RSPB Arne, but were both seen off by….you’ve guessed it….022! We were hoping 1H1 would return this spring and all being well 374 will soon too. Although she currently looks very comfortable with 022, we’ve actually seen this scenario before back in 2023 when an un-ringed female Osprey settled on the nest with 022 a few days before CJ7 returned. However, order was soon restored and CJ7 saw off the un-ringed intruder. We’re pretty sure the same will happen again and that CJ7 (all being well) will arrive back over the next week, and will soon see off 1H1, meaning she can go off and pair with 374, where ever he may end up!

In the Lower Piddle Valley today 2 Blue-headed Wagtail were found and this evening 5 Little ringed Plover were still on the floods and a Spoonbill dropped in. The Forster’s Tern was seen off Shipstal Point again, 4 Spoonbill were in Middlebere and 3 White-tailed Eagle were in the Wareham Channel. A Black Redstart was on factory roofs on Holton Heath trading estate. There was some vis-mig this morning which saw 140 Redwing traveling north, along with 72 Chaffinch and 3 Swallow.

Male Osprey 022 eyeing up newly arrived female 1H1

Male Osprey 022 trying to impress newly arrived female 1H1 with a stick

Blue-headed Wagtail – Lower Piddle Valley – James Leaver