First Osprey Chick of 2026 Hatches
The only pair of breeding ospreys in southern England have successfully hatched their first chick of 2026.
Female CJ7 and male 022 laid four eggs at their nest site located in a walled garden near Poole Harbour in Dorset for the third consecutive year in April.
Their first chick hatched on Friday at 15:10 BST.
Birds of Poole Harbour, the conservation charity leading the osprey reintroduction scheme, described this as a
"great start to what will hopefully be another big successful year".
Arrival and Nesting History
CJ7 returned to the nest on 25 March this year, with 022 arriving the following day.
Last year, the situation was different when CJ7 arrived to find that 022 had shared the nest with another female.
Birds of Poole Harbour previously noted that laying four eggs for a third consecutive year is
"quite a rare occurrence in ospreys"but added that it was
"great news for the recovering population here on the south coast".
Breeding Success and Conservation Efforts
The pair have successfully bred at this nest site for three consecutive years, raising three young in 2023, four in 2024, and another four in 2025.
Birds of Poole Harbour and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation initiated the reintroduction programme in 2017 with the goal of establishing a breeding osprey population on the south coast.
Up to 14 osprey chicks were relocated from Scotland and released in the Poole Harbour area annually until 2021.
CJ7 and 022 have nested at Careys Secret Garden since 2022.
They hatched four chicks in both 2024 and 2025 and are the first ospreys to breed on England's south coast in 180 years.
Juvenile Migration
The juvenile ospreys typically leave the nest between August and September, migrating to West Africa where they remain for several years before returning to Dorset to breed.
