Study - 1/3 Of 72 Bird Species In Chicago Now Laying Eggs Nearly One Month Earlier Than 100 Yrs Ago

[hatrack]

The arrival of spring has seemingly immutable rituals – lengthening days, blossoming plants and a surge in bees’ activity. But the onset of spring is now being warped by the climate crisis, with new research finding that many species of birds are nesting and laying eggs nearly a month earlier than they did a century ago.

US scientists who analyzed the nesting trends of birds from egg samples collected in the Chicago area found that of the 72 species for which historical and modern data exists, around a third are now nesting much earlier in the year than before. These species, including bluejays, yellow warblers and field sparrows, are now laying their first eggs 25 days earlier, on average, than they were 100 years ago, the research found. The heating of the atmosphere, due to the burning of fossil fuels, is seemingly upending a process that long appeared unshakeable.

“It was shocking to find this,” said John Bates, curator of birds at the Field Museum and the study’s lead author. “What we can see is clearly pointing in the direction that climate change is having a significant effect on the behavior of birds. It’s another piece of the puzzle we are trying to figure out in terms of impacts.” The study, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, drew upon records of birds’ eggs gathered during a period, from about 1880 to 1920, when people could rampantly collect them from nests without penalty.

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“If you’re a bird and you nest earlier, you put yourself at risk of these cold snaps that can still arrive in spring, which then affects the plants and insects,” said Bates. “That then impacts the reproductive success of the birds. Springs are becoming more volatile and that is taking its toll.” Bates said more research needed to be done but the scrambling of the seasons may well be a significant factor in the decline of many bird species, along with other factors such as habitat loss and the indiscriminate use of pesticides. In 2020, a study revealed that nearly 3 billion birds had disappeared from the US and Canada since 1970, a loss of nearly a third of all bird numbers.

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/25/birds-nesting-laying-eggs-early-climate-crisis-study

[2naSalit]

1. The cranes showed up 5 weeks early thi year...

As well as a few other migratory species. Some plants are coming up weeks ahead of time and winter is more of a suggestion than an actual separate season compared to winters of the past.