Birds and Weather
Birds spend a large part of their lives in the air and so they are greatly affected by the weather. Because of this, much weather lore is based on observation of birds' behaviour. Harsh weather can cover or spoil food supplies, and cold weather can cause birds to suffer extreme heat loss leading to death. Birds often roost together at night to keep warm, and many city centres attract birds, such as starlings, who flock in to roost in warmer urban areas. Birds will fly away from bad weather and impending snowstorms may cause vast movements of birds flying south and west away from the coming bad weather. Sometimes they even fly abroad from the UK to escape the weather, or when there is bad weather in Europe, wintering birds may move westwards from the Netherlands to the warmer south-east of Britain.
Harsh Weather Kills Birds
Some species are restricted to specialised habitats and can be hard hit by bad weather, bringing bird populations down to extremely low levels. Water feeders can't get to their food when freezing weather makes water ice over. It is good to put food and water out in the winter for birds as it can help them to survive the harsh weather. The impact of human activities, such as farming, and also gradual changes in the climate of local areas can affect bird species as their habitat changes, leading to loss of essential food supplies.
All birds are dependent on the weather for their breeding cycles. Mild weather signals the beginning of courtship and nest building. If it is unusually mild, birds can be fooled in to starting these too early, leading to loss of eggs and young through the onset of cold spring weather.
Migration is also governed by the weather and we know that birds need clear skies as they are thought to use the sun and the stars to help them navigate. If they get caught in a storm they will seek shelter on the nearest land, but even lighthouses and ships will do. Sometimes large numbers of migrating birds end up exhausted or even dead onto the land after storms. Birds migrating from as far afield as Africa, North America or South-East Asia can be driven thousands of kilometres off course by bad weather conditions causing excitement amongst bird watchers when they land on our shores. To find out more about birds, visit the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds website.
