Great tits cope well with warming

That's the headline for this BBC story, which reports: "At least one of Britain's birds appears to be coping well as climate change alters the availability of a key food. Researchers found that great tits are laying eggs earlier in the spring than they used to, keeping step with the earlier emergence of caterpillars. " Link (Thanks, Coop!)

Discussion

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The headline for this post had so much potential...

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#2 posted by Tenn , May 9, 2008 5:41 PM

Three separate links to this article in the last few hours! From two friends and now Mister Frauenfelder.

Obviously everyone I associate with has the same brand of humor- just as juvenile as mine!

Bwahahaha. Is 'tits' a common slang in Britain?

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#3 posted by Antinous , May 9, 2008 5:58 PM

Doesn't everybody like to be woken up in the morning by a cock?

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I don't understand why this is surprising to anyone. This has happened countless times throughout geological history. Major climate shifts cause countless species which are poorly adapted to the new climate to die off, which creates a gaps in ecosystems that are quickly filled by other species which are more suited to thrive in the new climate.

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#5 posted by Avram , May 9, 2008 6:11 PM

I first saw the headline last night on one of the big aggregator sites -- Reddit or Digg -- and the word "tits" had been replaced with a string of asterisks.

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#6 posted by stygyan Author Profile Page, May 9, 2008 6:12 PM

Jesse, the surprising thing isn't the article itself, but the headline. Tits, apart from being birds, is the most common name for women breasts. You know, boobs.

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#7 posted by Avram , May 9, 2008 6:13 PM

Hey, how are boobies coping with the climate shift?

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#8 posted by Antinous , May 9, 2008 6:19 PM

Oddly, their feet have turned blue, despite the warming trend.

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#9 posted by stumo , May 9, 2008 6:22 PM

Tits is common slang in the UK, don't worry. I'm sure whoever wrote it knew the pun. It's been on the BBC 'most emailed' list for a while!

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#10 posted by hokano , May 9, 2008 6:43 PM

I think #9 is right. This was published with a knowing wink.

One of the subheads: "Different Strokes".

Caption for the picture near the end: "Wytham Woods are home to about 400 breeding pairs of great tits."

Ah, 400 breeding pairs of great tits. That's a cozy image.

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#11 posted by alisong76 , May 9, 2008 6:55 PM

How sad is it that I knew this would be about birds before I clicked? I've been on the internet far to long :-)

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It's true! They do!

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I've always been a 'Tit Man', great or small.

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#14 posted by Gainclone , May 9, 2008 7:21 PM

HUGE TRACTS OF LAND

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Pics or it didn't happen.

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#16 posted by pauldrye , May 9, 2008 7:43 PM

"And in related news, Scarlett Johanssen got engaged this weekend."

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#17 posted by hep cat , May 9, 2008 7:45 PM

Reminds me of a business idea to sell Grand Tetons souvenir t-shirts to French tourists.

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@#14: But all I really want to do, is ... Sing!

NO WE'LL HAVE NONE OF THAT!

I wonder if those tits sing... :)

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#19 posted by ajweiner , May 9, 2008 8:03 PM

Also seen on the same BBC News RSS feed right above the aforementioned article (and a good candidate for the the award for "Sheer Obviousness in News Reporting"):

(BBC News)
Europeans get drunk 'to have sex'

Some teenagers and young adults get high on drink and drugs to improve their sex lives, research suggests.

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#20 posted by Antinous , May 9, 2008 8:05 PM

And in related news, Scarlett Johanssen got engaged this weekend.

And in other related news, she got engaged to Ryan Reynolds who also copes well with warming. Fans of Parus major will want to have their binoculars ready for this mating season.

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#21 posted by eustace , May 9, 2008 9:52 PM

Its such a cheerful headline. Warming.

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#22 posted by Jake0748 , May 9, 2008 10:05 PM

Man, I am so late to this party. But as one who always has to check himself before saying anything - I am very happy about these great tits.

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Bird names really are great. Link.

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#24 posted by Talia , May 9, 2008 10:47 PM

I know mine do.

/volunteers?

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#25 posted by Jake0748 , May 9, 2008 10:52 PM

Talia, Me Me... Pick Meeeeee!

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#26 posted by Jake0748 , May 9, 2008 10:59 PM

Best address ever... Woodcock Rd & Kitchen Dick Rd.

Thanks Threef Jeff.

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@Threefjeff:

Why am I not surprised that following Voice of America south is the quickest way to get to Woodcock, Kitchen Dick, and Buckhorn?

But of course, traveling south down Harrier Way also gets you to Woodcock.

Either way, you can get off Woodcock by taking the MacLeay route.

Those not in a hurry might want to consider Eaton/Kitchen Dick for a little change of scenery.

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...and I could've gone on.

That may very well be the greatest named place on earth.

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#29 posted by Jake0748 , May 9, 2008 11:49 PM

Velocity Girl, you are my hero.

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#30 posted by stumo , May 10, 2008 12:06 AM

@27 - slightly north of Woodcock, you get Bon Jon View.

Someone had fun writing the names here. Please tell me it's a red light district...

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Yes, we can say faggot and tit with a straight face and without being banned from national media.

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#32 posted by bollocks , May 10, 2008 3:00 AM

somehow, this title puts in mind one of the greatest poets and singers of all time - judge dread
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judge_Dread

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#33 posted by Orky , May 10, 2008 6:46 AM

I don't understand how The Register missed this one...

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Great tits cope well with warming
...but they look much better in the cold.

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er, "Great Tits" article was written by Dick Black.

Seriously.

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Yep.. I did a double take when that headline scrolled past on my RSS gadget as just

Great tits...
(Boing Boing)

yes, they tend to do that.

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Michigan place names:

http://www.getoffonbigbeaver.com/

It's real. I used to work on that boulevard and it takes a while to get over saying it.

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#38 posted by Teej , May 10, 2008 2:39 PM

What about man boobs?

Oh, wait. That's a bird?

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In other news, Allies push bottles up Germans.

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While the Lesser Tits continue to deny Global Warming.

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It's OK to prick your finger, but never . . .

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#42 posted by Takuan , May 10, 2008 3:53 PM

is this adequate excuse to reprise the Arrogant Worm's Assumption Song? (jest askin')

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#43 posted by imipak , May 10, 2008 4:14 PM

@31: that's not all; I often go for a fag break at work. (Speckled Jim? I thought you'd been run over.)

This story put me in mind of the following, from the late and enormously missed chairman Humphrey Lyttleton, on the BBC's gameshow parody "I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue", explaining why Samantha (the scorer) has to leave; something like --

"Samantha has to nip out now, as she's off to meet her new gentleman friend, who has a flock of domesticated game birds, and now also keeps young chickens. She can't wait to see his woodcock, pullet and swallow."

Humph was in his 80s, and this was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 12:30 on a Sunday afternoon; and this is one reason I'm happy to pay a license fee =)

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#44 posted by Moon , May 10, 2008 9:04 PM

As we all know (from Russell Meyer), Roger Ebert loves big tits.

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#45 posted by ornith , May 11, 2008 4:31 AM

@27 etc

And there's a "Ridge View" road quite nearby...

Actually, I grew up less than a mile from the intersection of Climax and Bushy Hill roads and passed by there almost every day going to and from school. The signs on that corner got stolen so frequently they eventually replaced them with a painted concrete post instead.

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