Sun 3 Jan 2021 01.45 EST
Lockdown has sparked a renewed interest in our garden birds, with millions of us enjoying watching them from our windows. But could some species – including the common and familiar great tit – vanish from Britain’s gardens by the end of the century?
Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, working with the University of Oxford, have modelled how great tits are reacting to the climate crisis. Specifically, are the birds able to respond to the earlier emergence of the caterpillars on which they feed their chicks?
Birds such as great tits have evolved to time their breeding cycle so it coincides with the peak of moth caterpillars that feed on oak leaves, which traditionally happens in late May and June. But as temperatures rise, so oaks are coming into leaf earlier, and the caterpillars have responded by hatching out earlier too.
Picture by i-Images / Pool
It was perhaps their most momentous year as royals: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge both announced several big projects including The Earthshot Prize, 5 Big Questions, Hold Still, Heads Up (and all of its smaller projects); and when the world focused on the coronavirus pandemic, William and Kate played a major part in the British Royal Family’s response to the crisis.
The couple pivoted their work towards focusing on frontline and key workers, arranging donations and holding meetings with those in charge to help as many people as they could. Though half the year was spent locked indoors with only Zoom to conduct major business, William and Kate were true MVPs this year. Let’s take a look back at their 2020!
A SWAN has been found with horrific injuries - thought to have been caused by a dog - in Monkton. The adult mute swan was found by a walker with severe injuries on the river bank near Monkton. RSPCA animal rescue officer Ellie West said she was shocked to see the condition the bird was in. “I couldn t believe this poor swan’s condition and the severity of his injuries - they were some of the worst I have ever seen on a swan,” she said. “Most of the flesh had been ripped from his wings exposing the bones. He also had bite wounds to his body and looking at the distance between teeth puncture wounds this seemed all consistent with a large dog breed attack.