We are very pleased to say that another of the Poole Harbour translocated Ospreys has returned to the UK, this time female 014, released in 2018! But 014 hasn’t returned back to Poole (yet)…we were alerted to her presence by the team at the Dyfi Osprey Project in Wales, when she arrived on the nest there at 15:37 on Wednesday 20th May. Obviously, 014 was an unwelcome intruder and so was quickly ousted from the nest, and she landed on the perch beyond, which meant the Dyfi team had some brilliant footage of her. You can watch their video here:

014 in one of the pens, 2018 – Simon Kidner

014 is now 2-years-old, coming from the 2018 cohort. She was one of the largest and strongest individuals that migrated that year, with the project facing difficulties during the translocation season with record-breaking summer temperatures. To have the first Osprey to return from the 2018 season is fantastic news for all the staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly that year, so much so that we can forgive her for returning to a different country!

Female Ospreys are more likely to wander to other areas on return to the UK, with their bond to their fledging grounds not usually as strong as in males. It will be interesting to see where she is next sighted – will she stay in Wales or continue exploring, maybe eventually returning to Poole? In their first year back in the UK, Ospreys will usually spend the summer “prospecting” and finding a good area to settle, which is when we saw CJ7 form a bond with Poole Harbour in 2017.

Here’s hoping for more sightings of 014 over the summer, and to seeing more young birds arrive back in the UK over the coming weeks! Huge thanks to the team at Dyfi for alerting us to her arrival, and for the fantastic information and footage they’ve put together… We’re on tenterhooks to see what happens next!

014 on the Dyfi Osprey Project camera