Migrating bird numbers plummet in UK

The number of birds which migrate to the UK every Spring to breed is plummeting, a new study reveals.

The fall in birds completing the annual journey from Africa has been so dramatic that scientists fear it is part of a seismic environmental change.
The spotted flycatcher, turtle dove and tree pipit numbers have declined by more than 80 per cent while once familiar small songbirds such as the willow, marsh and garden warblers have declined by as much as 75 per cent.

The cuckoo, the traditional herald of Spring which would normally now be reappearing in its woodland haunts, is down in the long term by almost 60 per cent.

The birds often weigh only a few grammes and face arduous and dangerous journeys of thousands of miles from their winter homes in sub-Saharan Africa to Britain and Europe. Many do not survive, falling prey to hunters or predators such as hawks. Bad weather and shortage of food also take there toll but there is nothing to explain the widespread collapse in numbers from dozens of species.

Climate change and loss of habitat, particularly in Africa, may be part of a complex set of factors which together have conspired against the birds.

Telegraph