Delayed breeding in Little Penguins: evidence of climate change?

Recently there has been renewed interest in the use of natural systems in providing evidence for climate change. Continuous biological datasets, covering a number of decades, are rare in Australia, however, data does exist on the timing of commencement of breeding of Little Penguins in Victoria. Climate affects marine ecosystems, particularly through sea surface temperatures. For a burrowing seabird, such as the Little Penguin, with strong ties to the land during the breeding season, there may also be an air/land temperature influence. The mean laying date of the penguins of Phillip Island, Victoria, has become progressively later over time and the question is raised whether this can be interpreted as a climate change signal.