El Niño

[lofuji]

I've found this winter to be really strange: plants flowering when they shouldn't; other plants not flowering when they should; insects "singing" in the middle of winter; a humid maritime airstream kicking in six weeks early; birds changing their calls or singing much louder than usual. This should be the peak period for watching the courtship rituals of the spotted dove, usually very common, but I've seen only two instances, and in one of those it was the male that lost interest! I put it all down to El Niño, but I know that this phenomenon is connected to other factors affecting the weather, such as the location of the circumpolar jet stream. My question is this: has anyone in other parts of the world noticed anything unusual, particularly in the behaviour of plants and animals?

[mistermack]

No.