Southern England's Only Breeding Osprey Pair Welcomes First Chick of 2026

Southern England's Rare Osprey Pair Hatches First Chick of the Season

A significant moment for British wildlife conservation unfolded on Friday afternoon when the first osprey chick of 2026 broke free from its shell at a nest site near Poole Harbour, Dorset. The hatchling emerged at precisely 15:10 BST, signalling a promising start to what conservationists hope will be yet another record-breaking breeding season.

The Only Breeding Osprey Pair in Southern England

The proud parents — female CJ7 and male 022 — are the sole breeding osprey pair in the entire south of England, making every chick they raise a conservation landmark. The duo returned to their established nest within a walled garden at Careys Secret Garden near Poole Harbour in late March, with CJ7 arriving on the 25th and 022 following just one day later.

For the third consecutive April, the pair laid four eggs at the same nest site — a feat that the conservation charity Birds of Poole Harbour describes as "quite a rare occurrence in ospreys." The first of those eggs to hatch on Friday has already been hailed as a "great start to what will hopefully be another big successful year" by the organisation spearheading the reintroduction effort.

A Remarkable Breeding Record

CJ7 and 022 have demonstrated extraordinary consistency since establishing themselves at Careys Secret Garden in 2022. Their breeding record speaks for itself:

• 2023: Successfully reared three young
• 2024: Raised four chicks
• 2025: Produced another four juveniles

This consistency places the pair among the most productive ospreys in England and reinforces the growing strength of the south coast population. Notably, CJ7 and 022 hold the distinction of being the first ospreys to breed on England's southern coastline in approximately 180 years.

Drama and Resilience

The road to this season wasn't without its complications. Last year brought unexpected tension when CJ7 returned to the nest to discover that 022 had been sharing the space with another female during her absence. Despite that turbulence, the pair reunited and went on to successfully raise four chicks in 2025 — a testament to the resilience of both the birds and the conservation programme supporting them.

The Reintroduction Programme Behind the Success

The remarkable recovery of ospreys on England's south coast is the result of a carefully managed reintroduction scheme launched in 2017 by Birds of Poole Harbour and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation. The programme's primary goal was to re-establish a self-sustaining breeding population in the region after the species had been absent for nearly two centuries.

Between 2017 and 2021, up to 14 juvenile ospreys per year were relocated from Scotland and released into the Poole Harbour area. That patient, long-term investment is now bearing fruit, with CJ7 and 022 serving as the flagship success story of the entire initiative.

What Happens Next

With the first chick now hatched and potentially three more eggs still to hatch, attention will turn to the weeks ahead as the young birds develop under the watchful eye of their parents — and the cameras maintained by Birds of Poole Harbour.

Once fully fledged, the juvenile ospreys typically depart the nest between August and September. They embark on a remarkable solo journey to West Africa, where they spend several years maturing before eventually navigating their way back to Dorset when they are ready to breed themselves — continuing the cycle that conservationists have worked so hard to restore.