How a severe drought in Africa caused whitethroat population to drop

Weather event in 1968 that killed millions of birds was an early indication that world's climate was changingMore than 50 years ago, in the spring of 1969, Britain's birders noticed that something was amiss. Whitethroats - which until then had been one of the commonest migrant visitors to the country - were missing from their usual hedgerow haunts.The reason for their absence turned out to be a severe drought. This took place during the autumn and winter of 1968, in Africa's Sahel zone, a narrow strip of land south of the Sahara where many British whitethroats spend the winter. Continue reading...