Osprey chick hatches in southern England for first time since 1847

Another landmark moment has been reached in the restoration of Western Osprey to the English south coast.

Female 'CJ7' was seen feeding her first chick on The Poole Harbour Osprey Project's webcam on 1 June.

Not only was the pair's first chick, it was the first to hatch in southern England for 175 years. CJ7's mate is identified as 022 and their first egg was recorded on the webcam on 23 April. This puts the incubation period at 39 days, two days longer than the average osprey incubation period of 37 days.

Incubation may have been reduced until the other eggs were laid, in order to bring hatching times closer together and allow younger chicks to get their share of food. There are two other eggs, which the project is hoping will hatch imminently.

The birds have been popular with views on the Osprey Webcam hosted by Birds of Poole Harbour, which shares the fortunes of the birds, which are part of a reintroduction project started in 2017, with viewers far and wide. Towards the end of the incubation period, male bird 022 could be seen taking over incubation more frequently and for longer periods.

Two other females from the project are breeding in Wales this year, rather than on the south coast as hoped for.

The live feed from the nest camera can be viewed from the comfort of your own home on the Birds of Poole Harbour website and their YouTube channel, potentially allowing viewers the chance to see the other two eggs hatch and the young grow.