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Will cold weather in europe lead to bird increase here?

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  • 03-02-2012 12:25am
    #1
    cameramonkey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,220 ✭✭✭


    A question for some of the bird people her.Will the cold spell in the rest of Europe lead to an increase in bird numbers her, I mean birds fleeing the weather and looking for food. Do birds react directly to cold spells by migration or will they hang on in Europe and wait for things to heat up?


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    #2
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Hopefully - there's a distinct absence of Waxwings this year compared to the last two years. Extra harsh weather in Europe does tend to drive birds west as far as I know.


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    #3
    V_Moth
    Registered Users Posts: 1,423 ✭✭✭V_Moth


    Not necessarily - it really depends on the availability of food for passerines or open water for wetland species. Only once these start to disappear will there be any kind of detectable movements. At the moment, the temperatures and snow levels are not really beyond what can be expected in a typical winter in Central Europe.

    From personal experience of winter in central Europe, most of the finches and thrushes will hang on in area until either the food is all gone or completely inaccessible by snow (>20cm depth).

    As for the Waxwings, there have been very few reports of birds moving out of southern Scandinavia and it seems unlikely we will get an influx - still can't hurt to put out a few apples just in case there are one or two around!


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