Weatherwatch: climate shifts threaten birds’ return as spring arrives
As birds begin long journey north, climate-driven seasonal changes may leave late arrivals struggling to find food for youngThursday is the spring equinox, when day and night are more or less equal all over the world. For naturalists, it marks the official start of spring, though judging by the birdsong in my Somerset garden, the season began several weeks ago.As we eagerly await the return of swifts, swallows, warblers and flycatchers – all long-distance migrants from sub-Saharan Africa – we should reflect on how shifts in the world’s climate are causing them problems. Continue reading...

As birds begin long journey north, climate-driven seasonal changes may leave late arrivals struggling to find food for young
Thursday is the spring equinox, when day and night are more or less equal all over the world. For naturalists, it marks the official start of spring, though judging by the birdsong in my Somerset garden, the season began several weeks ago.
As we eagerly await the return of swifts, swallows, warblers and flycatchers – all long-distance migrants from sub-Saharan Africa – we should reflect on how shifts in the world’s climate are causing them problems. Continue reading...