Nature and Climate change

[Paul]

There have been a few stories in the news this week about how climate change has affected the bird population in the UK

The Times:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/c...icle4552514.ece

The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008...fe.conservation

This has lead me to thinking, is nature a better guide to how our climate is changing, is wildlife and plantlife more sensitive to any change in our climate and should we perhaps be using that to gauge how things are changing alongside the more scientific measurements?

[johnholmes]

they do react to what has gone not to what may happen as some try to have us believe.

Thus reading Nature watch or whatever its called shows that flaura and fauna are reacting to the seasons changing. Birds and flowers, frog spawn etc all are said to be appearing earlier in most recent years. As ever there is conflicting evidence and differing ideas on how true these happenings are.

Interesting to read other more authoritative views on this, good idea Paul.

Edited August 19, 2008 by johnholmes

[Roo]

Good old phenologists......[and no,they don't feel head bumps!]

There they have been, plodding away for all those years with their little notebooks: we now find out that they hold some of the most valuable information about the natural world that can be found. :lol:

[Greyowl]

As John said there is lots of evidence already about birds nesting earlier and spring flowers appearing earlier. Something I read about is the reduction in chick and adult numbers of Puffins. The sand eels are moving out of their feeding areas earlier leaving the Puffins with a food shortage. They try to feed the chicks on pipefish instead which they can't digest properly.

Just one example I can think of and we have some of the biggest colonies of Puffins in the world.

[Gray-Wolf]

Hedgehogs?

Have we seen a collapse in their numbers over recent years and is this linked to 'wandering' seasonal boundaries (waking up to soon/hibernating late)?

Edible Dormouse

Have they now been introduced into the Lake District (as planned) as a conservation measure aimed at securing the population (as their environment further south changes).

Cornish 'Yellow Frogs'

Did we ever discover why so many mutations were occurring in our local amphibian populations in the latter part of the 1990's????

Overwintering of Red Admirals

Reports seemed to suggest that we now are able, in the SE, to 'overwinter our own Red Admiral populations (breaking the dependence on 'French' overwintering) Myth or fact?????

Insect infestations.

As spring seemingly arrives ever earlier we seem to be getting an extended period of time where our migrant 'fly eaters' have not arrived yet but that the insects populations are out and breeding in numbers (mild winters leaving more 'alive' come spring?). Is this only my perception or have you also noticed high 'aphid' populations on the wing in early spring?

[Roo]

Now this is a great site to play with (even if I haven't got a clue what a lot of the latin names actually are!!!)

http://data.kew.org/wild/phenology/

And this has some really interesting information:

http://www.naturescalendar.org.uk/findings/

especially,

http://www.naturescalendar.org.uk/findings/spring.htm