Page 28 - April_2018_Digital_Edition

Features

(Continued from page 27) and intensive. All of which reduce the
moving through our gardens. Birds availability of food for wildlife.
such as Siskins, Chaffinches and Food is key to migration: birds
Goldfinches are moving northeast consume a vast amount of energy
towards their breeding grounds, flying long distances, often across
having spent the winter in the south hostile terrain such as the Sahara. To
and west of the country. do this they must fatten up before
As you may know, The Yorkshire their journey, and then refuel on the
Arboretum still hosts a flock of way. Climate change produces ever
around a hundred Hawfinches, a very more extreme weather conditions,
rare event. They will presumably be which often mean insufficient food is
returning to their breeding grounds available to migrants at their point of
soon, though there is always the origin and en-route. We know that
hope that a few may stay and breed. this is one of the major causes of
migrating Cuckoo mortality through
“Migration habits are Spain, where droughts and wildfires
changing everywhere” have caused major problems
recently.
Climate change allows many
species to overwinter closer to home, Cuckoo by Pete Curran
as exampled by German Blackcaps
wintering in southwest England
rather than around the
Mediterranean. Ever more species
are breeding in the UK as well as in
continental Europe, witness the
spread north of Little Egrets which
are now to be seen regularly in On the brighter side though, now
Yorkshire. is the time to keep your eyes peeled.
At the other end of the journey, You never know what might choose
both climate change and population your garden to rest and refuel in on
growth are affecting our migrants’ its way back home!
summer quarters. Increased human
populations need more food and Mike Gray
fuel, so forests are rapidly being Tel: 07596 366342 or
eroded and land use is changing, with Email: gbwmike@gmail.com
farming becoming more widespread

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