Spring finally springs!

After all of the very cold weather we have had of late, you would be forgiven for thinking that spring wasn't going to be coming this year.

On Tuesday this week we undertook a phase 1 survey on a little site that is due to become housing.

Snow was still laying on the ground in sheltered areas, but in the small pond on site common toads (Bufo bufo) were mating and spawning.

Need a phase 1 survey, contact us here for advice.

March, spring is finally here!

March is the time that most, if not all people associate with a change in the weather. The days are getting a little longer, the lambs have been born and a warmth is coming back.

These environmental triggers also mean that wildlife is beginning to stir. By March great crested newt Triturus cristatus, are in the ponds. Slow worms Anguis fragilis and common lizard Zootoca vivipara are basking. Birds are nesting and bats are moving from their winter quarters to summer quarters. The spring flowers are showing themselves and small mammals are moving around more.

It is also the time many people start thinking about building. The ground is not as wet, the conditions are improving and builders are available to start projects following winter work.

Before long the summer will be in full swing and most Ecologists will be booked up for the busy summer survey season, don’t delay and get caught out by unexpected surveys, book them now!

Bees and Bats

Cherryfield Ecology has been surveying a site for bats in Hampshire these last few weeks, not only are there bats using the building but also bees.

This survey is known as an emergence/pre-dawn re-entry survey and is required when house building or alternations are being sought. As bats are a protected species these are a material consideration in the planning process.

Bees however are not protected, which is pretty mad considering that without them a lot of our own food crops just wouldn’t last or would be very hard to grow and produce. These include, but are not limited to, produce such as beans, peas, raspberries and tomatoes (BCT, 2017).

The UK has 250 different species of bee, 25 are bumblebees (those that we see in the garden) one honey bee and the remaining are solitary bees.

The hive we found was a honey bee hive, these are semi-domesticated (BBOWT, 2017) and produce honey for human consumption. The hive will have a queen, who lays eggs and workers who look after the young. There are also drone males who mate with the queen to produce off-spring. 

As bees are so important the owner has been advised to contact the local beekeepers association and have the hive removed and relocated before the building is demolished to make way for the new dwelling. The same will happen with the bats under a license once planning is granted.

References

BCT (Bumblebee Conservation Trust), (2017), All about bees, online at http://bumblebeeconservation.org/images/uploads/BBCT037_-_All_about_bumblebees_Leaflet_-_08.16_1.pdf, accessed on 22/05/2017

BBOWT (Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust), Honey Bees, online at bbowt.org.uk/species/honey-bees, accessed on 22/05/2017

Reptile Surveys

Reptile Surveys

This is the time of year that reptile surveys can be undertaken. Currently we are doing six surveys across the county.

Most of these are small sites consisting of 50 felts, but we have just set-up the largest reptile survey we have ever done. Some 250 tiles across a massive site.

We had to use a sled to drag the tiles around, which was hard going but easier than carrying over 100kilos of bitumen felt.

All the background information leads us to believe that all four common species will be present, including common reptile, slow worm, adder and grass-snake.

Need a reptile survey for your planning application - get in touch at www.cherryfieldecology.co.uk

Bat Surveys, how they work

You have been planning your new home, extension or building works for an age, finally you have your planning application in with the local planning authority (LPA) and just before the application is assessed the LPA throws a spanner in the works.

Yes you heard that right you have to have a bat or ecology survey, what?

Bats, otters, dormouse, and great crested newts amongst others, all have legal protection. Some of these species just happen to like to live with us, which means that building works will often have an effect on their habitats, albeit that the habitat happens to be your home, garden or land.

So in order to establish whether any species are present the LPA has a duty to find out if they will be affected by your proposed works, this takes the form of a survey.

As most of the time when doing works to houses it will be bats that are affected the following example concentrates on this survey process –

Stage 1 Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA)

This is also known as a scoping bat survey, day-time inspection, phase 1 bat survey or diurnal survey.

It entails an internal and external inspection of the building, tree or structure. There are three things that are checked for –

·         The bats themselves.

·         Evidence that bats are present e.g. droppings, feeding remains or other evidence.

·         The features that bats are known to use. Examples include hung tile (tiles that are hung against the brick wall of the building), missing mortar, wall tops (or plates) and lofts.

If any of these three things are present follow on surveys are required in order to establish species (it could be one or more), population and their use of the building.

Stage 2 Emergence and pre-dawn surveys

Also known as roost characterization surveys or presence/likely absence surveys.

These are time restricted between May to September, when bats are fully active and using their summer roost locations. They can’t be done outside of this time for planning purposes.

The point of these is to be able to design mitigation and compensation for the bats in the project. Therefore ensuing that sufficient information is provided for the LPA to discharge its duty.

Need to know more? Or do you need a bat survey? Client here. 

Spring is on the way!

Background

As we draw closer to the end of February and start getting into March spring will have finally sprung. Look around, there is new growth everywhere, grass is starting to grow, trees are beginning to bud and birds are thinking of nesting. But it is also a great time to start thinking about common reptiles and their awaking from their winter slumber.

As the temperatures start to rise to around 9oC upwards most of our native reptiles start to emerge and move around in the landscape once again. They have one thing on their minds to begin with – mating until around May (herpetofauna, 2017).

Slow worm Anguis fragilis for instance have between three to 26 young each year with an average of eight. The young are born in an egg which is soon shed. When newly born the young are between 70 to 100mm in length (herpetofauna, 2017).

Their preferred habitat is a mosaic of rough grassland, scrub, woodland edge and rough ground with basking spots e.g. bareground (Wildlife Trust, 2017). This is true of many of our native reptiles and there is usually a good water source nearby. This can also mean that grass snakes Natrix natrix might be present.

The issues

When planning your project it is worth considering common reptiles as although not protected like bats or great crested newt, they are protected from killing and injury. Therefore by clearing or breaking ground that has not been checked for them you could accidentally be breaking the law by killing reptiles hidden in scrub or long grass.

The Solution

The first thing that’s needed is to check the site for the potential presence of common reptiles. This is done by checking the site over for the habitats that are required by common reptiles. Once established that this is suitable a full survey is generally required. This involves placing out ‘tins’ which are a half metre by half metre bitumen felt, corrugated tin or carpet square. Reptiles will then utilize these to bask or hide under making it possible to find common reptiles in an otherwise difficult habitat to search.

Been asked for a reptile survey? Get your free quote here.

References

Herpetofauna, (2017), Slow Worm, Online at http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/slow_worm.htm, accessed 03/01/2017

Wildlife Trust, (2017), Slow Worm, Online at http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/species/slow-worm, accessed on 03/01/2017

Time to start thinking about great crested newt and reptile surveys

March is a month I look forward to as an ecologist, not just because spring is just around the corner but because it signals the start of the ecological survey season.

Every year, following the bleak, damp, cold winter months and long hours of darkness, the days begin to slowly lengthen and spring flowers begin to show their intentions for the coming season. Spring equals life in a temperature climate and the flowers are the start, following them the tree buds will burst and for many of the UK’s wildlife these signals tell them it is time to wake from the winter slumber.

Soon frog, toads and great crested newts will be moving from their wintering grounds on land to the ponds they need to reproduce. Frogs, toad and newt will be found in the ponds, that for generations, these amphibians have relied upon. New generations of amphibians will be born, with frog and toad spawn and newt eggs being found within the next few weeks.

Of course this new life gives ecologists the opportunity to study amphibians, as the remainder of the year they are hunting, sheltering and moving around on land, where it is all-most impossible to find them.

Reptiles such as slow worm, common lizard and grass snake will also be waking from their slumber. Although not requiring a still water body for reproduction, they, like amphibians, require a reasonable temperature to start moving around. Typically this is seen as 9oC in the UK for reptiles. In periods of poor weather they will hunker down again until it improves.

As the days get longer and sun warms the earth, reptiles and amphibians will be moving around and this provides an opportunity for ecologists to get out of the house and start doing what they love so much, finding and recording wildlife.

For developers, architects and planning consultants in the UK, now is the time to get organized and start looking at getting surveys instructed to prevent delays in the future ‘Forearmed is Forewarned’ as the saying goes and this couldn’t be more true with ecological surveys.

If you are a planning consultant, developer, architect or home owner thinking about starting your project in the coming months and you have ponds, rough grassland, woodland or parkland close by, give Cherryfield Ecology a ring to discuss the ecological constraints that may be a future issue. 

www.cherryfieldecology.co.uk

07950279790 or admin@cherryfieldecology.co.uk