Sightings30/05/2022

Harbour Update – posted 30/05/22

Not many sightings reported so far today, aside from a few nice bird of prey reports and updates. One of the IoW White-tailed Eagles was seen this morning from Coombe Heath, in flight over the Wareham Channel. A juvenile Peregrine from the nest on the Barclays building was visible on the balcony again this morning, so it’s good to hear the young are continuing to gain confidence. From reports, we know at least 2 juveniles Peregrines are present, although 3 eggs were laid. Today marks 37 days since CJ7 laid the pair’s first egg, which is the average incubation period for Osprey eggs. So far, we haven’t seen signs of hatching today, but the pair appear to have been playing close attention to the eggs and CJ7 was reluctant to let 022 incubate this morning, which could be a good sign. In the later stages of incubation, the adults will be able to hear noises from within the eggs, and will be more restless, regularly turning them and standing up frequently. We’ve started seeing these behaviours over the last 48 hours, so hopefully hatching isn’t far off. Incubation usually ranges between 36-40 days, so we’ll be watching very intently over the next couple of days for this activity. We’ll be able to confirm hatching if/when we see CJ7 reaching into the nest to feed the chick, tearing off small pieces of fish for them.

Plenty of other species have already fledged chicks, including a pair of Redshank who were seen shepherding their brood of three chicks across the road from Hartland Moor towards the Middlebere channel this afternoon. And from the sublime to the ridiculous, an adult Oystercatcher was seen feeding a juvenile Black-headed Gull on Brownsea Lagoon (not for the first time in recent years)!

CJ7 inspecting the eggs this morning

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