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World Environment Day

Jun 05, 2026 by Marketing

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Conservation

The warmer climate this year so far has proved very interesting in Conservation Manager Jo’s record keeping. During surveying at all four conservation sites, Jo has said that this year has been fantastic for sightings with the largest number of Painted lady butterflies spotted at our Grindleford site.

What are the reasons for this?

Warmer temperatures - Painted ladies thrive in warm conditions. Milder temperatures can improve survival and allow more butterflies to reach your area.

Successful migration years - Painted ladies are famous long-distance migrants. Some years, weather patterns and favourable winds lead to exceptionally large migrations, resulting in many more butterflies being observed.

More food plants - If the conservation site has abundant wildflowers for nectar and host plants such as thistles for caterpillars, it can attract and support larger numbers.

Habitat improvements - Conservation efforts like planting native flowers, reducing pesticide use and restoring grasslands can make the site more suitable for butterflies.

Longer growing seasons - Climate change can extend the period when flowers are available, providing more food for adult butterflies.

Better monitoring - Sometimes apparent increases are partly due to more people surveying and recording wildlife.

Has the climate also affected the number of bird increases?

Yes, research has shown that Barn owls especially have larger clutch sizes this year, with an astonishing six babies rung only last week when Jo attended a site with a local bird ringing group. See a baby owl pictured in its nest below.

For birds of prey such as the Barn owl, Common buzzard and Common kestrel the main effects are:

More prey available - Mild winters and warm springs can increase populations of small mammals, insects and other prey. More food often means better breeding success and higher chick survival.

Earlier breeding - Warm Springs may allow some raptors to begin nesting earlier. If food is plentiful at the right time, more young may survive to leave the nest.

Better hunting conditions - Extended periods of dry weather can make it easier for some raptors to hunt. For example, barn owls often struggle during long spells of heavy rain because prey is harder to find.

Stronger soaring conditions - Raptors such as buzzards and kites use rising warm air (thermals) to soar. Sunny, warm weather can improve these conditions and make hunting more efficient.

However, warm weather is not always beneficial:

Drought can reduce prey populations if grasslands become too dry.

Extreme heat can stress chicks in exposed nests.

Weather mismatches can occur if prey populations peak before chicks hatch.

How does warm weather can affect passerines?

Positive effects:

Earlier breeding - A warm spring can encourage birds to nest earlier.

More insects - Warm conditions often increase insect activity, providing more food for chicks.

Higher chick survival - If food is abundant when chicks hatch, more young birds may survive.

Potential negative effects:

Timing mismatches - If insects emerge earlier than usual but birds do not adjust their breeding timing enough, chicks may miss the peak food supply.

Drought - Extended dry weather can reduce insect abundance and make feeding young more difficult.

Heat stress - Very hot weather can affect eggs and nestlings, especially in exposed nests.

Pictured above is a very busy Blue tit adult feeding their young. Jo said she watched this little bird collect food every few minutes and mentioned “the adult was working so hard to keep the chicks fully fed, I will check on the nest box later in the year to see if they all successfully fledge.”

Also pictured is a baby vole, Jo lifted one of the survey tiles to find six baby voles under the tile, the most she has ever seen!

By using no pesticides and having the right food plants and good weather conditions, we certainly hope to see and record a lot more butterflies and native wildlife across our conservation sites this year.