Wildlife 'emerging earlier'
Some butterflies are emerging earlier in spring
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Friday, 25, May 2007 12:41
Some UK wildlife appeared earlier this year as a result of global warming, a new survey has revealed.
Results so far from the BBC's Springwatch survey have found that the warm spring has been responsible for earlier sightings of a number of species.
So far 24,000 first sightings of six key species of plants and animals have been logged by amateur naturalists.
The BBC reports that preliminary findings suggest frogspawn arrived two weeks earlier than 2006 and peacock butterflies appeared on average one month earlier than last year.
Commenting on the results, naturalist Bill Oddie said that it is "perfectly obvious" global warming is leading to earlier signs of spring.
"These sorts of figures have been coming in for many years now. The trend is perfectly obvious. It is in the newspapers every day, it is on the radio every day, it is on the television every day," he told the Today programme.
"It absolutely amazes me if anybody is surprised to be told that spring is coming a bit earlier."
He added that he hoped Springwatch, which he presents, will act as a prompt for climate change on the part of viewers.
"The main point of the survey, as far as I am a concerned, is to get people out and to notice what is around them; to become aware of wildlife in general, to be aware that there are changes going on; and, when they see an opportunity, do something about it," he said.