Harbour ospreys hatch first chick of the year

The only pair of breeding ospreys in southern England have hatched their first chick of 2025.

Female CJ7 and male 022 laid four eggs at their nest site in a walled garden near Poole Harbour in Dorset for the second year in a row in April.

Their first chick emerged from its egg on Thursday at 05:49 BST.

Birds of Poole Harbour, the conservation charity leading the reintroduction scheme, said "one out, three to go" and added despite being laid three days apart a second had also started to hatch.

The pair laid their first egg on 13 April and their fourth of the season on 22 April. Last summer saw all four chicks hatch.

A webcam set up by the charity monitors the nest near Wareham.

The pair had been embroiled in a love triangle earlier this year when female 1H1 also arrived at the nest.

After a few days, CJ7 saw off the intruder, who normally calls Rutland home in the spring and summer months.

The birds, part of a reintroduction scheme, became the first nesting pair on the south coast in 180 years in 2022 and are protected under UK law.

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