Wildlife’s capacity to cope with the vagaries of the British weather being severely tested

While working at Nottingham-shire Wildlife Trust I’ve become accustomed to answering calls from journalists keen to know how wildlife is coping with either a particularly cold spell or long dry spells. Writes Erin McDaid, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust

For years my answers sought to provide reassurance wildlife is inherently adaptable and well able to cope with the vagaries of the British weather.

In all honesty, with exceptions such as the occasional week-long freeze or a ferocious storm, the weather was rarely a cause for real concern from a wildlife perspective.

I’ve also spent years answering queries about whether particular weather events were the result of climate change. I’d usually explain that while the steady increase in average temperatures and changes in overall weather patterns could be attributed to climate change, individual weather events could not.

Worryingly, but not at all surprisingly, my tried and tested responses don’t necessarily hold true any longer.

As a result of habitat loss and other pressures many species are at, or fast approaching, a tipping point where extra impacts could be catastrophic and it seems irrefutable that the recent extreme weather is directly linked to climate change.

We are in clearly in the grip of an ecological and climate crisis. As a result, the resilience of species and habitats is being severely undermined.

Difficult and unseasonal weather conditions are much more likely to have a negative impact on wildlife.

Just like us, many of our native species have no experience of dealing with extreme weather, such as the record breaking temperatures we’ve experienced this summer. If these conditions become more frequent, as is predicted, we really don’t know what the impact on nature will be.

On a day-to-day basis wild animals will use similar strategies to us in order to cope with the heat — such as drinking more and seeking out shade; but dealing with long-term temperature rises calls for more radical action.

For many species, especially those able to fly such as birds and butterflies, the solution is often to migrate north in search of more temperate conditions.

Over the past few decades we’ve seen birds once synonymous with southern Europe, like the little egret, establish as breeding birds here in the UK, including Nottinghamshire — with the first record locally being at our Besthorpe Nature Reserve. Many butterflies have also expanded their range north in the UK.

Obviously, this migration strategy is not available to most species, especially in the condensed time frames that wildlife are currently having to adapt. Even plants can shift their ranges northwards but usually over decades, not overnight, and mammals cannot reach our shores unaided.

As we all focus on keeping our cool, physically and emotionally, there are ways we can help wildlife. Putting out water is helpful, as is creating a pond. Planting trees to create more shade in our gardens will help too, but we must also look beyond practical help for nature and consider life-style changes that can help slow and halt climate change.

Next time you are out filling up the bird bath take a look at where you could fit in another water butt or a larger version to collect more rainwater. Using a jug to collect water while running the tap until the combi-boiler kicks in saves a surprising amount.

As well as considering water use we should also be looking ahead to be more energy efficient this winter to save both vital cash and reduce our contribution to climate impacts.