Breeding Program Pays Off: Seahawk Couple Meets Again, Ready to Breed!

Through a five-year programme, ospreys – or seahawks – have been encouraged to breed on the Dorset coast in the United Kingdom, and conservation efforts are proving worthwhile: two birds found their way back to each other from migration, and are currently nesting!   

“The pair, known as CJ7 and 022, first met last summer, although the male was too young to breed,” as stated by Birds of Poole Harbour. “However, they’ve now both returned early enough meaning there’s a good chance the pair will attempt to breed this summer, which will be a historic moment for Dorset.”

The five-year reintroduction programme started in 2017 when the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and the charity Birds of Poole Harbour teamed up to establish a breeding population, transferring six-week-old chicks from Scotland to the harbour located in Southern England. Live webcams have been set up so school children and citizens can observe the birds of prey. Osprey conservation programmes already proved successful in Rutland and in Northumberland.