Osprey
By Keri Murrell
Ospreys are fish-eating birds of prey with exceptional eyesight and specialised feet for gripping their prey. Their population declined in the 19th century due to hunting, egg collection, habitat loss, and pesticide use, leading to extinction in England by 1840. Natural re-colonisation began in Scotland in 1954, though breeding was delayed by human disturbance. Legal protections were introduced in 1981. In England, reintroduction efforts began in 1999 at Rutland Water and expanded to Poole Harbour in 2017.
Photograph of Ospreys on their nest courtesy of Birds of Poole Harbour
