Last Sunday, 28//8, I heard a Rufous Songlark calling briefly. This is the earliest by far that I've heard this species at my place on the eastern slopes of the Mt Lofty Ranges in SA. Usually, Rufous Songlarks turn up, if they turn up, around late September, early October.
climate change?
Maybe. But I wouldn't want to attribute the earlier than usual arrival of a Rufous Songlark to climate change. If a trend is established over a number of years then the climate change hypothesis would be more convincing.
In fact, when I'm twiddling my thumbs one day I must update my bird data & see if there's an increasing number of migratory species appearing earlier than usual over the 29 years or I've been keeping records. However, even if there is an increasing number of migratory species arriving earlier that might be due to the increasing suitability of habitat rather than climate change. Or it might be due to a combination of the two.
Perhaps I'll keep twiddling my thumbs.