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Canaries in coalmines & climate change

Red finch

Bird observers to some are a weird lot. Fanatical, obsessed with what these others see (or often ignore and don’t see) and dismiss as trite.  The obsession of bird observers with their environment however often feeds into useful science.

US observers have noticed that over 40 years 177 bird species have moved further north in the US.  This has occurred as average January temperatures rose about 2 degrees C.

This study by the WWF collates over 200 studies of bird behaviour and climate change and assesses, among other things, species extinction risks.

A serious consequence of climate change is on the world’s biodiversity.  Biird observers are helping to provide observations that help give them a ‘canary in the coalmine’ role.

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