Changes in Bird Behaviour

In the last week I posted about a pair of Robin that had nested, in winter, down in Bedfordshire. While it would be nice to imagine that with the milder winters we are getting as a result of a changing climate, unfortunately what is the determining factor for the survival of the chicks is food. Each parent would need to find 35g of insects that’s about one and half ounces of insects to keep the chicks and themselves alive and for the chicks to build up body mass. Further, the RSPB, whose headquarters are in Sandy in Bedfordshire, also say that unless the parents could find enough grubs or caterpillars then the chicks would die of dehydration. As the chicks need the juicy bodies of these foods to supply their liquids.

While this Robin is an extreme example, part of the reason for the decline in British song birds is that climate change is causing many birds to nest earlier and before the insects hatch, therefore before the food is their to feed the chicks.

The change in the climate is effecting the behaviour of other birds. In the South West of England, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall birds like Blackcap and other warblers have for the last ten years dispensed with migration and are eking out a living in and around the sewage works. They are there because of the insects, mainly tiny flies, which breed and feed there. Not having to fly all the way to the Mediterranean means that they have reasonable fat reserves to make it through a mildish winter. However, any harsh cold snap has reduced the numbers of these non-migrating birds.

Also on the subject of bird behaviour, over the last week or so I have had the privilege of observing a red kite that has been hunting a few hundred yards from my office stroke back bedroom window. Today I went out to see if I could get some pictures. On time the Red Kite turned up. While watching I realised that there was a specific reason for the Kite quartering the area. The resent heavy rains has flooded out many small mammals, I saw a couple of dead voles too. Further while watching I saw a sparrow hawk fly other. I didn’t get any pictures, as I had forgotten the recharged batteries, no images but great memories.