The news that last month was the warmest ever February in England and Wales will not have come as much surprise – after all, we are used to weather records being broken regularly because of the climate crisis.
Towards the end of the month, temperatures in Kew Gardens in London reached a high of 21.2C (70.16F), a UK record for February. This allowed many of our resident breeding birds to start breeding a month or more earlier than usual – though the month’s record rainfall may have caused them problems. And if we do get even a brief cold snap in March or April, they may fail to raise their precious brood of chicks.
