Today we had a female Osprey from our Translocation Project return to Poole Harbour for the first time ever! The two-year-old ringed 372 was released in 2021 and was first seen back in the UK as an adult only last Friday, on the Osprey nest at Llyn Clywedog in mid-Wales. Since then she’s clearly covered considerable ground, as this morning at 9:04am she landed on one of the artificial nests in Poole Harbour. Previous females that have returned from the project have all dispersed to Wales and stayed there, so we were very pleasantly surprised to see her return to Dorset. No doubt she’s come back to Poole Harbour to scope out any breeding opportunities, and if she stays around over the coming weeks should could be in luck, with the potential for any of our five translocated males from 2021 to also arrive back any day now. It’s so encouraging to see her back in the area, and there’s a chance she may even put in an appearance on the livestream camera at some point if she goes to check out CJ7 and 022s nest.

Elsewhere, the Forster’s Tern was seen on Brownsea Lagoon at 1pm having potentially been on a hunting trip with a flock of Sandwich Terns along the coast to Hengistbury Head where one was sighted this morning. Back in Poole Harbour, Lytchett Fields held 2 Common Sandpiper, 12 Whimbrel and 4 Greenshank on the high tide, along with 1 Osprey and 1 White-tailed Eagle over the bay. Two Red Kite were seen over Sandford and Organford, and in Poole town centre both adult Peregrine were seen making trips to the nest, the male arriving with Starling prey. More Nightjar were also reported back on the urban heathlands around Poole last night.

Translocated female Osprey 372 on a Poole Harbour nest today