Services

Site Assessments

A site assessment identifies the key ecological issues.  Ways to avoid impacts may be discussed at the early stages; if further surveys are needed then these can be advised together with any timing constraints.   The levels of legal protection afforded to different species is also explained. For many sites the key issues are bats, common reptiles and common nesting birds.  

Barn Owl Surveys

Barn Owls are given special protection under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act (1981, as amended).  Barn owls may use buildings such as barns and other derelict structures as well as mature trees and a Barn Owl survey is often requested at the same time as a bat survey.  If Barn Owls are present, suitable mitigation  proposals will be required to integrate Barn Owls into a new development or to provide alternative suitable nesting sites and habitat for them.

Bat Surveys

All bats in the UK are European Protected Species (EPS).  As such bats have one of the highest levels of protection of any species in the UK.  Not only is the animal itself protected but its roost sites are also protected even when the animal is not present.

The majority of bat surveys are requested for  buildings, both modern and old and including residential and non residential properties.  Other structures may support bats too e.g. bridges, culverts and tunnels.  Bats also roost in trees and some of our rarer species depend upon woodland and parkland sites for roosting and foraging.  The nature of a site, proximity to habitats such as woodland and water and the geographical location (some bats have restricted ranges) will influence the survey techniques used to assess a site.   

Training

In order to disturb bats, even for survey purposes a licence from Natural England is required. Additional licences are required for many other specialist survey techniques e.g. to capture, ring or fit radio tags to bats.

Training is a serious commitment but allows a consultancy to grow and develop its skills and experience and respond better to clients needs.

Both Colleen & Paul have been training consultants and volunteers for over 12 years in a range of bat survey techniques.  ECS runs bespoke training for consultancies ranging from licence training for individual staff, bat detector workshops for a staff team, specialist techniques such as analysis of time expansion and freqeuency division calls, mitigation techniques for development sites and surveying larger sites for EIA.