Poole Harbour ospreys: Chick dies from injuries after hawk attack

The chick was one of the first two ospreys to be hatched in southern England in 200 years.

A young osprey chick, one of the first two bred in southern England for 200 years, has died after a hawk attack.

The chick, referred to as 5H2, died after it was wounded in its nest on Friday by a goshawk, receiving injuries to her side as a result.

Birds of Poole Harbour said she was cared for by a specialist vet but confirmed she had died on Monday.

"We did as much as we could to help her, but unfortunately her injuries were significant," the charity said.

5H2 hatched in June as part of a reintroduction programme, which began in Poole Harbour in 2017 with the aim of establishing a breeding population.

On Friday, a goshawk entered the chick's nest but one of the parent ospreys deterred it.

When a team from Birds of Poole Harbour arrived at the nesting tree, they found the chick, 5H2 on the ground and took her to an emergency vet.

5H2 was treated for muscle damage to her left flank but the charity announced that the chick died two days later.

The organisation said that goshawks are natural predators of raptor birds such as ospreys, adding that the hawk "should not be demonised for their behaviour and recovery in a landscape when they have been wiped out".