Crick, H.Q.P. 2006 Climate Change and breeding birds. Trans Suffolk Nat Soc . 42: 15-18.

Abstract

Our climate is changing and there is compelling evidence that animals and plants have already been affected. Future scenarios of climate change suggest that these changes are likely to continue and will move us into uncharted waters. Here I would like to describe what we know about how climate change is affecting breeding birds.

We are particularly lucky in the UK in that there has always been a great passion for birds. Ever since Gilbert White published his Natural History of Selborne, there has been a keen amateur interest in these obvious, colourful and interesting parts of our natural world. The natural historians had a great penchant for making written observations of what they saw and in the 19 th Century natural history was a common pastime for the relatively well-off. In the 20 th and 21 st Centuries, this became less exclusive, leading to the development of the serious birdwatcher, who often takes part in systematic surveys and monitoring. These surveys provide an unparalleled record of how the fortunes of our native birds are faring and are quite simply the envy of the World. They are now providing very valuable information for the tracking of the impacts of climate change. Without such historical information we would not be able to tell whether the developing trends are real or not and whether they are related to the climate or not. They provide some of the best evidence to help convince decision-makers of the reality of climate change and that it is already having impacts that we can measure today.

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