The Barn Owl situation in Great Britain

Recent claims of a link between low Barn Owl numbers and climate change:

Climate change has led to a catastrophic crash in the population of Britain's barn owls, it was claimed today.

See also: Extreme weather hits barn owl numbers:

Extreme weather conditions are to blame for a catastrophic fall in the number of barn owls, an expert said today.

As few as 1,000 breeding pairs of the distinctive bird may have survived in Britain, a dramatic fall from an estimated 4,000 pairs last year.

These claims have also been disputed: Barn owl fears exaggerated, says expert

Claims that extreme weather conditions had dramatically reduced the number of breeding pairs in Britain to as few as 1000, from 4000 the year before, were dismissed by Nigel Middleton as exaggerated.

The Hawk and Owl Trust's conservation officer for the eastern region said the barn-owl population in Norfolk had fallen slightly but this was due to other factors than just the weather and would go back up.

He said: "We are at the bottom of a four-yearly cycle in the vole population, which always means the numbers of barn owls falls as there's less for them to eat.

"It will rise again next year."

Tags: Birds, Climate Change, Global Warming

Efforts to combat Puffin losses on the British Isles

The island's puffin population has suffered in recent years from an invasion by an alien plant species, which grew out of control and smothered the birds' burrows, leaving them unable to lay their eggs, driving them away from the island.

Tree mallow, a Mediterranean species which can grow up to three metres tall, is believed to have been introduced to the Bass Rock in the 17th century for medicinal use. It is thought that warmer weather, as a result of climate change, has helped the plant to spread at the puffins' expense.

Tags: Birds, Climate Change, Global Warming

Rare ocean pattern leaves fish and birds hungry

Scientists are puzzled by the deaths of the birds and other unusual patterns in the ocean ecosystem. Along the Central Coast, waters have been much warmer than usual, and even fish market workers have noticed the change.

Tags: Birds, Climate Change, Global Warming

Flood Storage response to Global Warming could benefit birds.

This project in the U.K. is a response to rising tide levels. The scheme creates a flood storage area:

The project will also create a huge new inter-tidal habitat, attracting more species of wildfowl and wading birds to the area including shelduck, wigeon, teal, avocet and redshank.

Tags: Birds, Climate Change, Global Warming

Balearic Shearwaters affected by Climate Change

"Many people believe that because Balearic Shearwaters nest in the Mediterranean, they must love warmth. However, they leave the Mediterranean in mid summer and head north through the Bay of Biscay towards relatively cool British waters. They are cold-water specialists, but with climate change warming the oceans, the seas are becoming less productive, and we believe birds are moving ever further north to find sufficient food," explains Carles Carboneras, a seabird expert with SEO/BirdLife, the BirdLife partner in Spain.

Opposition to Wind Farms in Great Britain