Birds and the drought in SE Australia - and climate change

["michael norris" <>]

This is like the Crimson Chats in NSW?

In their alarming book "Climate Code Red" David Spratt and Philip Sutton say
that "Australia's birds are moving south at 100-150km a decade", roughly the
rate at which the "climatologically tropical" area is expanding to the north
and south of the equator (pp62-63).

For Melbournians that means a climate similar to Broken Hill (plus storms)
by the end of this century.

When I was in Europe last year the evidence of species migration was clear
from insect studies, let alone bird studies like the effects of warming on
House Sparrows, with the population crashing, probably due to their being
unable to raise second broods..

In Australia with its more variable climate (El Nino/Nina etc.) and
inadequate monitoring, trends are less clear.  For instance Crested
Bellbirds were in Melbourne about 120 years ago.

So look forward to more ticks - of both kinds - in your area and prepare to
farewell some others.

Michael Norris