UK birds 'hit by climate change'
Chaffinches are laying their eggs up to a week earlier compared to the mid-1960s
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Friday, 15, Aug 2008 08:05
Climate change is having a greater impact upon Britain's birds than previously thought, a major report has said.
Research presented in the annual State of the UK's Birds report, produced by a coalition of conservation groups, says rising temperatures are taking their toll.
It warns birds in Britain are laying their eggs earlier, while food-rich estuaries are no longer attracting migratory wading birds and a separate decline in specialist bird species is also being witnessed.
"This year's report shows that climate change is with us already and from our gardens to our seas; birds are having to respond rapidly to climate change simply to survive," said Dr Mark Avery, the RSPB's conservation director.
"As often before - birds are acting like the canaries in a mine shaft and giving us early warning of dangerous change."
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) said birds such as chaffinches, blue and great tits, robins and swallows, were laying their eggs a week earlier on average compared to 40 years ago.
The BTO's Dr David Leech explained: "Every year a network of 500 BTO volunteers monitor 30,000 nests, providing an enormous wealth of information about the changes in nesting activities of many of our birds.
"Over time, this body of information reveals a fascinating insight into how wildlife is affected by environmental changes."