The Effects of Climate Change

We've been hearing about the effects of climate change for well over a decade now & we've just read this great article on www.birdwatch.co.uk …

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Little Egret is a species that possibly
has benefited from climate change
with its recent spread north, but
many other species will suffer
and possibly rendered extinct.
Photo: Andy Vernon
(commons.wikimedia.org)

A UN climate impact report released today gives the clearest and most comprehensive evidence yet that life on earth is in deep trouble.

The report reinforces the sobering view that climate change is real, it’s happening now and it’s affecting the lives and the livelihoods of people, as well as the sensitive ecosystems that sustain life.

It is the second in a series of four reports being prepared by the world’s leading climate authorities in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It assesses the impacts, adaptation and vulnerability of human and natural systems, the observed impacts and future risks of climate change, and the potential for and limits to adaptation.

Samantha Smith, leader of the WWF Global Climate and Energy Initiative, said that for the first time the report highlights the dramatic difference of impacts between a world where we act now to cut emissions – which now come mostly from using fossil fuels – and a world where we fail to act quickly.

“This report tells us that we have two clear choices: cut emissions now and invest in adaption, and have a world that has just barely manageable risks, or do nothing and face a world of devastating and unmanageable risks and impacts.

”The report makes it clear that we still have time to act. We can limit climate instability and adapt to some of the changes we see now. But without immediate and specific action, we are in danger of going irreversibly too far. With this risk posed so clearly, we have to hope that the next IPCC report which is being released in Berlin in April, will provide us with strong statements on the solutions that we know exist,” she said.

Sandeep Chamling Rai, head of the WWF delegation to the meeting, warned that despite the warnings given by the IPCC in its reports over the past 20 years – reinforced by the release of the report today – the gap between science and what governments are doing remains huge.

“The science is clear and the debate is over: climate change is happening and humans are the major cause of emissions, driven mainly by our dependence on fossil fuels. This is driving global warming. This report sets out the impacts we already see, the risks we face in the future and the opportunities to act. It has been accepted by the member governments of the IPCC. Now it is up to people to hold their governments to account, to get them to act purposefully and immediately,” he said.

The risks of collective inaction are greatest for developing countries, said Rai. “All countries are vulnerable, but developing countries have a greater sensitivity with more people living in poverty and fewer resources to respond to climate disasters. We need to put in place measures that will slow down warming, and put us on a fair and just transition to a sustainable world. The report shows that ambitious emissions cuts now can reduce the risk of climate change in the second half of this century.”

The regional assessments – given in depth in the report – show with a great degree of certainty what the impacts will be in the key regions of the world.

“”We now have a better understanding of how climate impacts will affect people and nature in different regions. International adaptation efforts need to be intensified to adequately respond to such varied impacts,” said Rai. 

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Spring Visitors

During the spring and early summer, it's not just the milk van that will wake you early - it's dawn chorus time again.

From March to July, those feathered alarm clocks are at it again, as they defend their territories and sing to attract a mate. 

Springing into song

Our songbirds time their breeding season to the warmest part of the year, when there is plenty of food and lots of daylight in which to find it. As winter turns to spring, the lengthening daylight switches male songbirds into breeding mode.

The first songsters of the season are residents such as robins and great tits, joined later on by migrants like chiffchaffs and blackcaps to make May and June the peak time to enjoy the dawn chorus.

The early bird gets the worm

The first birds begin to sing about an hour before sunrise. If you listen carefully, you may notice that there is a regular sequence, with some species habitually starting before others. Among the earliest to rise are skylarks, song thrushes, robins and blackbirds, and as they do eat worms there may be some truth to the old saying!

A more relaxed approach is taken by wrens and warblers, that typically appear later. These smaller birds, who are perhaps more sensitive to the coldness of dawn, feed on insects that themselves appear later in the morning.

The truth dawns

The dim light of dawn is not a good time to go foraging. Food, like insects and seeds, may be difficult to find, so perhaps it's a better time to try and attract a mate. Singing also brings the risk of attracting a predator, so it is better done before the bright morning light betrays the singer's position.

The air is often still at this time and, with less background noise, song can carry up to 20 times as far. As the light strengthens food becomes easier to find, so hungry birds begin to move off and the chorus gradually diminishes.

There is another chorus at dusk, which is considered quieter, though some birds - like tree sparrows and blue tits – seem to prefer to sing at this time of day. It may simply be that we take less notice of it than the dawn chorus, when we are so keen to enjoy a few more moments in bed!

Sunflower Hearts are perfect for wild birds in spring

He who sings last...

Singing is hard work, and uses hard won food reserves, so it is the fittest, best-fed males who produce the strongest, most impressive song. Females therefore choose a mate who sings best, because such a male is more likely to be good at raising chicks, to have a good territory, or to pass successful genes to their young.

In many species, once the female has been attracted, the male will sing less often. A bird that sings on and on, late into the season, is probably a lonely batchelor who has failed to attract a mate.

Enjoying your dawn chorus

Peanuts are full of nutrients & are ideal for birds in springtime.

If you want to listen to a dawn chorus, then the best days to choose are those with fine, clear weather and little wind. It can be cold early in the day, so remember to take warm clothes. Late April through to early June is the best period, when most species are singing well.

Dawn chorus peaks half-an-hour before to half-an-hour after sunrise, but the variety of song can prove too confusing at that time, so why not get into position a good hour before sunrise, and enjoy the arrival of the performers as each takes their turn on stage.

Spring Sale is extended through to April

We've extended our Spring Sale on Peanuts & Sunflower Hearts throughout March & April.
You can now buy 25kg of Economy Peanuts for just £39.99 & 25kg of Premium Sunflower Hearts for just £38.99
Follow the links above now to place your order or call the office on 01778 342665.
All orders over £50 qualify for a 5% discount so why not browse around our bird feeders & live bird feed to add to your order?

Bird Migration

Migration is the moving from one place to another, usually in search of more favourable conditions for either feeding or breeding.
Many songbirds migrate at night and feed and rest during the daytime. The air is also cooler and denser at night and so there is:

• Less risk of dehydration.
• Less energy used to provide lift (the force that acts upwards).
• Less turbulence, caused by thermals rising from the ground, to throw the birds off course.

Other birds fly at very high altitude for a similar effect, for example: airline pilots have observed Whooper Swans at altitudes of 8850 metres (29 000 feet).
Scientists believe that the bird's internal clock and cues taken from seasonal events govern the timing of their migration. At the appropriate time, the birds prepare for migration by building up their fat reserves by eating insects and berries. Some species, particularly warblers, complete their migration in one non-stop flight and can double their body weight, while others stop en route to feed.
Additionally, some species, such as Willow Warbler, may moult their feathers ready for the migration, while others will moult only when they arrive at their destination.
The tremendous feat of travelling thousands of miles is all the more miraculous when some species are known to return to the same location year after year. Scientists think that birds use their sense of smell to follow odours, their remarkable eyesight to follow the Sun, the stars, the Earth's magnetic field, and landmarks, and wind directions to achieve navigation. Interestingly, some species take a different route in their summer migration to the one in the winter.
From the birdwatcher's point of view, there are three types of bird visitors: summer visitors, winter visitors, and passage visitors, and can offer splendid views of large flocks of birds and hundreds of different species.
Summer Visitors
In Britain, our summer visitors are birds that have migrated in the spring from around the Mediterranean and Africa. They do this to improve the chances of rearing young. In they stayed in Africa the competition for limited food supplies would be high, but in the more northern latitudes there is more food and more daylight hours in which to search for it. However, staying in Eurasia during the winter months when food becomes short would lead to starvation and death, though some of our traditional migrants, like the Blackcap and Chiffchaff, are now over-wintering in Britain.
Our summer visitors include Swallows, House Martins, Swifts, and warblers (e.g. Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Whitethroat).
Willow Warblers and many other warblers fly non-stop and take 4 or 5 days to complete their migration. On the other hand, Swallows can take 2 or 3 months to complete their migration as they stop off every few days to roost and feed.
Winter Visitors
These species migrate from their breeding grounds in Scandinavia and northern Europe where food becomes hidden under snow and ice.
Examples are the thrush family: Redwing, Fieldfare, Blackbird and Robin. While some of these are true migrants, we also have native migrants, for example: tits and wrens moving from the countryside to urban areas, starlings flying from their city roosts to suburban gardens during the daytime, thrushes flying southwards from northern Britain, etc.
Passage Visitors and Irruptions
Many passage visitors are sea birds and waders, such as Black Tern, Solitary Sandpiper, but also others such as Serin and Bluethroat.
Irruptions are sudden invasions of birds. One of the better known examples are Waxwings, which sometimes move into Britain when rowan berries have failed in Scandinavia and northern Europe.