‘Beast from the east’ to summer heatwave resulted in record years for some species while others struggled

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A year of extreme weather ranging from the snowy bitterness of the “beast from the east” to a baking hot summer has resulted in a rollercoaster year for wildlife, according to an annual audit of the UK’s flora and fauna.

The prolonged, harsh end to the winter followed by a mild May and sunny weather in June and July meant some species had record years while others struggled to cope.

It was an excellent year for the rare large blue butterfly, with numbers reaching a peak in the south-west of Britain. It was also a good year for bats, including the scarce horseshoe, and fruit and fungi have been abundant. There were thrilling sightings of snowy owls and northern bluefin tuna.

The cold snap at the end of February, however, caused a mass die-off of invertebrates on the east coast, including shellfish, lobsters and starfish, and birds including guillemots, shags, fulmars and kittiwakes also suffered badly.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A kittiwake in the Farne Islands. Photograph: © National Trust Images/Ian Ward

David Bullock, the head of species and habitat conservation at the National Trust, which compiles the annual snapshot, said: “This year’s unusual weather does give us some indication of how climate change could look and feel, irrespective of whether this year’s was linked to climate change. It’s becoming less predictable every year to gauge what sort of weather we are likely to experience, and what this means for our wildlife.

“We need to ensure that we continue to look after the land in our care and work with others to create joined-up areas of the countryside, in effect nature corridors, to enable wildlife to move around easily if needed, to survive any type of weather.”

The animal ecologist Peter Brash said: “This year’s weather has been the most remarkable of my lifetime, with a bitter March leading into a pleasant spring and a heatwave summer which actually exceeded the famous long hot summer of 1976, and an exceptionally mild autumn.

“The impact on wildlife has been massive, with many species reacting in an unprecedented manner, such as large blue butterflies which had a record-breaking year and migrant moths such as the hummingbird hawkmoth were also widespread this year.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Large blue butterfly numbers peaked in south-west Britain. Photograph: © National Trust Images/Matthew Oates

January, February, March

Rare and uncommon birds arrived from the continent in February and March as a result of the cold weather across Europe.

A scattering of arctic redpolls were also seen in the east of England, and there were higher than normal numbers of ducks such as goosander, red-breasted merganser and scaup in the north-west.

Snowy owls, predominantly an Arctic species and a rare visitor to the UK, were seen at Scolt Head Island in Norfolk and St David’s in Wales in late March.

Significant numbers of wading birds looking for unfrozen ground appeared along coasts and rivers in the south-west. down into the south-west.

April, May, June

It was a record year for seal pups at Blakeney and the Farne Islands , thought largely thanks to a lack of disturbance and mild weather.

At Sandscale Haw on the north-west coast, the rare natterjack toad struggled as the heat dried out pools essential to its survival, some for the first time in 10 years. This could, however, be good the creature next year because predators of its eggs and tadpoles such as dragonfly larvae will have also perished.

Migrant birds arrived late, particularly swallows and swifts, which were still heading north in June.

There was hope of a record-breaking invasion of rose-coloured starlings, but after 40 were seen at places including Lundy in the Bristol Channel and Trevose Head in Cornwall in the first week of June they faded away.

The biggest impact was probably on dune grasslands, where the warm weather helped to reduce grass growth, making the dunes less stable and able to react as they should to weather conditions. This helped to destabilise some areas to create pockets of bare sand which are used by nesting bees and can be colonised by pioneer plants.

Storm Hector hit north Wales and northern England in June with high winds and heavy rain, toppling trees and a causing a storm surge that wiped out colonies of little terns, which nest on the beach.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The rare natterjack toad struggled as the heat dried out pools essential for their survival in the north-west. Photograph: © National Trust Images/Neil Forbes

July, August, September

The warm weather also led to a rare sighting of northern bluefin tuna off Lizard Point in Cornwall, and record numbers of Mediterranean gulls. The number ofkittiwakes in the south-west declined, most likely dbecause there were fewer small fish for them to feed on.

Other species attracted to colonise and breed in the most south-westerly part of the country included various dragonflies such as the small red-eyed damsel, southern migrant hawker, red-veined darter and vagrant emperor.

Rarer butterflies such as the large blue and silver studded blue had a bumper year. Some species such as the chalkhill blue had second or third broods in late summer and into the early autumn.

Wasps also made a strong comeback in the north-west and north Wales after a poor 2017.

The dry summer encouraged the spread of pests. The box moth and oak processionary moth moved north and west from London and the south-east.

Parch marks were another summer phenomenon, revealing parts of our history never seen before, particularly the layout of the former mansion at Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire and the layout of the 19th-century garden at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire.

The wildfires which burned on Saddleworth Moor in Greater Manchester and Winter Hill in Lancashire for three weeks through June and July ripped through more than seven square miles of moorland and bracken, destroying precious habitat for ground-nesting birds and reptiles in particular. The peat that burned will take thousands of years to recover and it will take up to 40 years for heather to become mature and diversify.

Warm weather meant that blackberry picking came early, with foragers finding enough to make pies at the end of July. The bumper harvest continued throughout August.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The hot summer revealed parch marks at the National Trust’s Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire. Photograph: © National Trust Images/Paul Hancock Aerial Photography

October, November, December