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Red kite

Red kite

Click here to find out more about the Red Kite

Sparrow

Sparrow


To find out about seed-eaters, like Yellowhammer and Tree Sparrow, click here.
 

Population changes of resident species

Population changes of resident species

Climate change, bringing warmer winters and shorter periods of frost, should in theory, mean reduced winter mortality and an increase in the breeding population. More...

Summer Migrants

Summer Migrants

Warmer summer temperatures should in theory improve food supplies and therefore breeding performance. On the other hand drier summers may reduce insect availability and therefore might have a negative effect on populations. More...

Winter Migrants

Winter Migrants

The UK is experiencing milder winters and so although these species will continue to migrate to Wales, greater numbers are likely to remain in northern Britain and fewer should be seen here in Wales. These milder winters have allowed new species to visit Wales in increasing number and frequency.  More....

Welsh Birds and climate change

It has been acknowledged by the Government that Bird Populations are a good indicator of what is happening in the environment. In the UK, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) organises annual surveys, using standard procedures, and has done for 50+ years. It annually publishes population changes. These give the conservation bodies, hard evidence that changes are afoot. Biannually the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), BTO, Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) and Welsh Ornithological Society (WOS) publishes a summary document – “State of the Birds in Wales”.

Populations are never the same each year, they go up and down, relating to

·          food supplies

·          the number of predators

·          disease

·          availability of nesting sites

·          the weather

·          climate change

To find out about the Red Kite, click here. 
 
 
 
Over the last century there have been some dramatic changes in the populations of Welsh Birds. Some have been due to changes in agriculture or persecution by man.
 
 
 
 
Recent estimates of European bird populations have suggested that 71% of bird species have changed since 1900 and that 44% of them may be due to climate change.
 
 
The effects of climate change are different depending on whether the birds are resident in Wales or whether they come here in the Summer to breed or Winter in Wales to avoid adverse weather conditions.
 
  • Reduced winter mortality in Wales, but increased winter mortality in those species that winter in Africa – linked to desertification.
  • Changes in breeding behaviour – earlier egg-laying, reduced clutch sizes – with greater effects on migratory species that may not be in a good condition to breed so early.
  • Earlier migration to Wales for the summer, but later migration for Welsh winter visitors.
  • Potentially reduced numbers of winter visitors.
  • Asynchronisation with prey – leading to earlier breeding, but in the case of some summer migrants this is not possible, leading to population declines.
  • Colonisation of Wales of new species.
  • Loss of a few species.
  • Competition from other species that are increasing due to climatic changes.
  • Changes in the oceans, linked to changes in ocean currents altering foodchains.
 
 

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