NATURE lovers are getting the chance to get close to nesting ospreys thanks to a collaboration between the RSPB reserve at Arne and the Wareham Area Men’s Shed.

A team of volunteer woodworkers from the Shed fulfilled a request from the RSPB to build a viewing screen overlooking a raised platform where a lone female osprey is currently building a nest from sticks, bark and grass.

It is hoped she will soon attract a male and the pair will start a family which, if it happens, will be the first time in 150 years that the birds of prey will breed in Dorset.

The seven metre-wide screen, which has a roofed section for rainy days, is situated by a pond and a Poole Harbour inlet, giving visitors the chance to see ospreys swooping for fish.

Arne’s assistant warden Liz Coates called the screen “a fantastic addition to our raptor trail."

She added: “It is a prime spot from which to watch the ospreys, giving visitors a really good close-up view.

"The nest is part of the Birds of Poole Harbour’s osprey reintroduction programme, which is taking place over several years.

"It will be really exciting if they breed here.”

The Shedders meet on Thursday afternoons and Friday mornings to work on projects either at their base in Wareham’s Purbeck Connect centre or at local sites such as Arne. There is growing demand for their skills and they are actively seeking new volunteers to boost their capacity.

Stewart Fothergill, the main architect of the viewing screen along with fellow Shedder Phil Ashworth, said: “It was a fairly major undertaking but we got stuck in.

“We managed to put it all together in a few days of hard graft and even allowed ourselves the odd sandwich break to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

"We are quite pleased with it and everybody who sees it seems to like it.

"Let’s hope we see lots of ospreys.”