Freezing weather brings fresh perils for British wildlife

Freezing weather brings fresh perils for British wildlife

Public urged to help save mammals, birds and insects whose habitats and food supplies have come under pressure

Robin McKie, science editor
The Observer, Saturday 30 March 2013 15.50 EDT

Britain's continued freezing weather is threatening ever greater numbers of wild animals, birds and insects across the country, experts have warned. The current cold spell – one of the longest on record – is particularly affecting creatures that are already struggling to survive the loss of their habitats and changes in climate.

Examples include the hedgehog, which has already suffered a devastating loss of numbers over the past three decades and is now badly affected by the cold weather. In addition, threatened reptiles such as the grass snake and slowworm require sunny, warm conditions when they emerge from hibernation. Such a prospect is still remote, say meteorologists.

Even birds such as the barn owl and tawny owl are facing problems. "Owls like the tawny and barn rely on hearing their prey – mainly voles, shrews and mice – as they scuttle across the ground. But in snow or hardened ground that is very difficult," said Ben Andrew of the RSPB. "As a result, owls need to hunt during the daytime, leaving them open to attacks by other birds or collisions with motor vehicles."

Wild animals can deal with harsh weather, experts acknowledge, but the length of the current cold spell is unprecedented, with forecasters warning that temperatures are unlikely to return to their average level until the end of April. By that time, a great deal of harm could have been done to the nation's wildlife. Frogs have spawned only for their ponds to have frozen over, while many plants and insects are emerging late, which has a knock-on effect on species that feed on them.

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/mar/30/wildlife-suffering-freezing-weather