The osprey pair nesting near Wareham has laid a fourth egg for the third consecutive year, marking another strong season for Dorset’s reintroduction project.
Female CJ7 laid the fourth egg on the morning of 23rd April, completing a clutch of four on the nest at Careys Secret Garden. The male, 022, returned from migration the day after CJ7 in late March, and the pair quickly re-established their bond.
The birds have nested at the site since 2022 and are among the first ospreys to breed on England’s south coast in around 180 years. In recent seasons they have successfully raised chicks each year, contributing to a small but growing population in the region.
Birds of Poole Harbour, which leads the project alongside the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, described three consecutive years of four-egg clutches as relatively uncommon, but encouraging for the species’ recovery locally. The eggs are expected to begin hatching towards the end of May.
The reintroduction programme began in 2017, with young birds brought from Scotland and released around Poole Harbour to establish a breeding population. Ospreys typically migrate to West Africa for the winter, returning to the UK after several years once ready to breed.
Live footage of the nest is available via the Birds of Poole Harbour website.
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