Happy New Year 2018!

Greetings! After a long absence; or a hiatus as others may describe it.

Last year (2017) was an exceptionally busy one with a significant workload taking me as far north as south-west Scotland; as far west as north Wales; as far east as Lincolnshire; and as far south as Hampshire.  This year (2018) will see similar journeys and there is plenty already booked in the diary.  So a big ‘thank you’ to all my regular and not so regular clients.  I will enjoy working with many of you again throughout the spring and summer of 2018.

There have been quite a few highlights in 2017, including working with Calderdale Council at the delightfully-named Cromwell Bottom Nature Reserve, near Brighouse in West Yorkshire undertaking terrestrial invertebrate surveys within old gravel pits subsequently infilled with pulverised fuel ash (PFA) – a waste product of coal-fired powerstations (in this case, the now demolished Elland Powerstation).  This typically results in a floristically and structurally diverse habitat mosaic as a consequence of the complex chemistry exhibited by PFA as it weathers.  A primary objective of the survey was to inform proposed habitat restoration work being planned to re-wet the site where existing lagoons have gradually silted up; identify enhancement opportunities to re-establish some of the more open biotopes that have gradually succumbed to bramble and birch/ willow invasion and establish the types of invertebrate assemblages present within the nature reserve.

Cromwell Bottom LNR, near Brighouse, West Yorkshire. The invertebrate surveys undertaken in 2017 will inform the proposed habitat management on the site; particularly re-wetting the lagoon seen in this photo.

The dry area of the lagoon which is intended to be lowered to increase open water habitats. Transitional habitat such as reed/ willow carr can support an assemblage of specialist invertebrates so the surveys were completed to identify the assemblages present.

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A second highlight also involved working on a site influenced by PFA deposition; this time in north Lincolnshire.  Three visits at this location yielded a significant number of solitary bees and wasps, estimated to represent just over 10 % of the UK fauna; including several new species for the county and one which is likely to be of regional significance.  The overall invertebrate assemblage is of national significance but there are also opportunities here for future proposals to enable appropriate land management that will retain the various interest features of the study site.  These features will be considered in the context of the wider landscape characteristics of this part of Lincolnshire, including reflecting statutory sites that support similar habitats.

I was also incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to undertake a bespoke spider survey for the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust at Charnwood Lodge Site of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserve. Historical work in the 1960s and then again in the early 1990s identified the Reserve as being significant for its spider fauna based on early work undertaken by John Crocker and Jon Daws.  My surveys, undertaken between March and October aimed to update the Reserve’s species list.  A total of 135 species were recorded, adding 24 new species to the Reserve; and two new to Leicestershire (technically vice-county 55); thus bringing the total recorded there to 194 species.

The Rough, Charnwood Lodge NR. An area of wet acid grassland & heath mosaics

Timberwood Hill, Charnwood Lodge NR. Mosaics of wet heath, acid grassland, scrub & rocky outcrops

Timberwood Hill, Charnwood Lodge NR. Bilberry heath.

Heatherfield, Charnwood Lodge NR. Long-horn cattle grazing acid grassland with scattered gorse.

Forester moth (Adscita statices), a Species of Principal Importance, near the ‘Bomb Rocks’, Charnwood Lodge NR

Whilst the majority of my work has been undertaking terrestrial invertebrate surveys, other work has included breeding and wintering bird surveys, Preliminary Ecological Appraisals and other high-level walkover surveys and the occasional more detailed high-level botanical surveys. I continue to work with trusted and experienced specialists in their field, including other entomologists and botanists. Having a reputation for delivering high quality work is important to me, particularly as I am increasingly being commissioned to work with multi-disciplinary teams on more complex sites and thus having a background in large consultancy is an acknowledged benefit to my clients.

Finally, this Blog/ Newsletter marks the end of a long gap in communications as I posted no updates during 2017 – the first instance since I started back in spring 2011.  This is entirely due to project work taking up my time and energy; with little realistic opportunity to put the proverbial pen to the proverbial paper.  I cannot promise that my Blog outputs will materially change going forward; but I will endeavour to post on an ad hoc basis, as and when time and subject matter permits.

So, if you’re thinking about planning surveys for the 2018 season, do get in touch by the usual way.  I am already looking forward to undertaking a spider survey in the New Forest, Hampshire and ongoing monitoring work in the south-east of England.

Fairy-ring long-horn beetle (Pseudovadonia livida)

Striped slender-robberfly (Leptogaster cylindrica)

Female wolf-spider (Pardosa sp.) with egg-sac

 

Winter Blues?

December 2016.  The last month of what has been a turbulent year.  I imagine that when historians look back at this year, some may use the word ‘change‘ or the phrase ‘defining moment‘ as they describe the various events that occurred between January 1st 2016 and December 31st 2016.  It is easy to think why in some respects – more of this later.

But how would I write up 2016?  For me?

Well, if I were to sum up 2016 in a single word, it would be ‘busy’.  This is my fifth full calendar year of trading; and my sixth year overall.  It has, by some distance been my busiest year.  You can tell because I haven’t written much on this blog.  Despite the events that I will come on to in a bit.

And if I were to sum up what I have been up to in a single word, excluding ‘ecology‘, it would have to be ‘invertebrates‘.  That is not to say exclusively invertebrates as ‘birds‘, ‘botany‘ and ‘reporting‘ have all played a role in the (business) calendar year.  You can read all about it in my latest client newsletter (click on the image to upload).

So what of recent events?

Brexit: a new beginning?

I am writing this a little over a month since approximately 17.4 million individuals outvoted 16.1 million individuals in what was the EU Referendum.  The result, a split by 52 % for, and 48 % against, is to leave the European Union.

By some quirk of fate, I am personally, almost, the living embodiment of the UK’s lifetime of EU membership.  The UK voted to remain in the EEC (as it was back then) exactly a week before I was born in June 1975; and we voted to leave some 10 days after my 41st birthday.  As to when we actually leave is of course open to conjecture; though I don’t believe there is a credible political option to remain, i.e. ignore the Referendum (which is different to the legal argument(s)).

So what does this mean for ecologists, including myself of course; and those with a broader environmental remit?  The short answer is: who knows?!  And that would mean the end of this blog entry!

But I want to expand on some views expressed on a LinkedIn discussion forum [viewable after being accepted to the Group].

The Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) is my professional body and hosts a webpage with relevant information on the potential, and perhaps soon (?), actual implications of Brexit.

CIEEM represents over 5,000 individuals who work in various guises within the ecological and environmental professions, across all sectors.  Whether you work within the private sector like me, the public sector (e.g. local authority), or for an NGO such as the RSPB or Buglife, the impending exit from the EU is very likely to have a measurable effect; though the magnitude of the impact is the most significant unknown.

So what next?

Mid-Season Blues

I estimate, that mid-June in each and every year, is approximately the middle of the calendar year; and approximately the middle of the main ecology survey season (in the UK).  With an enforced few days in the office given the weather (cool, grey skies and damp conditions), why mention the blues?

Well, I don’t want readers (Yes! it is still the plural) to think I have sunk in to a depression given the imminent EU Referendum (I haven’t).  It is just that as an invertebrate ecologist (mainly it would seem nowadays), I seek, I crave, I aspire to the blues.  Blue skies.

 

Blue skies over flower-rich grassland. An invertebrate and an invertebrate ecologist’s delight!

Blue skies equals, in a UK summer, high pressure.  Meteorologically and work wise.  It means that I am busy, in the field surveying.  In 2016, I have been, and will continue to be surveying in various locations between south-west Scotland (near Stranraer) and east Kent (east of Canterbury).  And various places in between.  But today is a grey day so I am ‘stuck’ in the office.

A form of invertebrate survey, be it an initial appraisal or more detailed surveys are increasingly being asked for pre-planning by local authorities and environmental consultancies.  I don’t know why this seems to be the case.  It might be merely a consequence of an improving economy and an increase in house building (for example).  But it might also be that ecologists in consultancies, ecologists in local authorities and environmental co-ordinators within larger developers are becoming increasingly aware of the need to understand what invertebrates, be they individual species, assemblages or guilds such as pollinators, could be or are present on site.  May be developers, business & industry, and local authorities ‘connect’ with the concept that insects such as pollinators are ‘useful’ (as are dung-beetles which are more than proverbially useful)?  Whatever the reason, 2016 is exceptionally busy for me and I am very grateful to all my clients for commissioning me to work with them.

Indeed, it is so busy that I have, with the client’s agreement, delayed a survey until 2017.  So whilst I will be very busy during the second half of 2016 (be it the calendar year or ecology survey season), it remains a good time for others to consider if a site might need an invertebrate survey.

Like the appearance of blue skies, it is gladdening to know that invertebrates are increasing their profile and recognition within the planning and nature conservation sector.

EU Referendum – an ecologist’s perspective

Three weeks to go to decide the UK’s future within Europe and perhaps the very concept of the UK itself (again!).

For those that know me; or keep in touch with my increasingly reduced blog output, my interest in politics and its interactions with nature conservation runs deep.  I have been mulling over whether to write something on this subject that everyone is talking about, but in reality, knows very little on what the consequences would be.  But I couldn’t resist!

I don’t want to dwell on the ‘for’ and ‘against’ leaving the EU – I have written about this elsewhere; and others have put forward the case too such as here.  Though as a brief aside, I have not managed to locate anything meaningful by those that campaign to leave on the environmental issues (which may be telling); and nor have others it would seem. So on this topic, in my opinion, the correct box to tick is a no-brainer – unless you would prefer to return to the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s UK in environmental terms and re-live the Silent Spring.

Instead, I have thought about the outcome – what is most likely?  But not the consequences.  It is probably the question to ponder but are there any pointers?  And in my view, a jar full of sweets might help.

Half-a-decade!

April 5th 2011.  I went to bed technically unemployed but woke up on the 6th April 2011 self-employed.  And on the following 1,826 occasions since then, I have gone to bed and woken up again self-employed.  It’s been quite a journey.

I ought to have created a map of where I have worked, it would be an interesting exercise.  But I do know that I’ve been fortunate to work (and get paid!) in amazing places – Northumberland, North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks.  I’ve worked in Scotland and England; but not yet Wales or Northern Ireland.  Kent (south-east), Devon (south-west), Dumfries (north-west) and Angus (north-east) are the compass extremities; but most of my work is in northern England and the English Midlands.

I wonder where the next five years will take me?

One of my first commissioned projects (three sites in West Yorkshire) are now up and running (police stations if you’re interested).  I am now about to embark on some monitoring on a site which I was first involved with pre-planning (and pre-Judicial Review!) so I am starting to consider that I have become established; or at least been around long enough to see projects go from conception to fruition.

On a personal level, I started self-employed life with one child, a three-bedroom house, a car and a wife.  Five years later, I’ve added a bedroom (moved), a car, and a child; but not, I hasten to add, a wife!

So, as I embark on my sixth and seemingly busy year (Kent, Dumfries, Cumbria, Leicestershire, Yorkshire so far), I would like to say thank you.  For those that have commissioned me since April 2011 (and continue to do so), thank you for the journey. And to my wonderful accountants who let me do the ecology and not worry about the books – and taught me a bit about wider business – thanks to you too!

Here’s to completing the decade!

Spring in to Action!

Today, I am heading south as some of our first spring migrants are heading north.  I’ve yet to see my first ones; but may be, as the Urban Birder (David Lindo) suggests, when I arrive in London, I should look up (but may be not like the image on his website!).  And indeed I might.

Sand martin (Riparia riparia) by Nigel Wedge (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic Licence)

The purpose is to attend CIEEM’s spring conference on advances in Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA).  I am particularly interested to hear one of the talks which will be on ornithological EcIA and a standardised approach by Biocensus’ Tim Hounsome.  I am hoping that it will include some thoughts, opinions and conclusions on number of survey visits (at least 4 is my hope!) and methods (modified version of the CBC territory mapping methodology is my hope! [see section 2.3.1 of this document.]).

 

Walking to and from my daughter’s primary school, albeit between 08:20 and 09:10 hrs each morning, I am beginning to get a picture, though not an accurate one, of the breeding bird assemblage within my neighbourhood.  So far, I can reasonably assume, that blackbird (Turdus merula), dunnock (Prunella modularis), greenfinch (Chloris chloris), goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) and house sparrow (Passer domesticus) are likely breeding species in gardens.  Red kite (Milvus milvus) are displaying over farmland to the north and viewable from our front garden.  Male and female siskin (Spinus spinus) are still present in our garden, feeding on the bird feeder so am not sure if they will hang around to breed.

This brief blog is to really say that the breeding bird season has genuinely started – not at full throttle yet, but certainly the early birds are beginning to show interest.  Tim’s talk is well timed and I am genuinely looking forward to hearing it…so Tim, no pressure!

So if you are reading this and joining me in a ‘reverse migration’ (like water pipits (Anthus spinoletta)) to London and the CIEEM, conference, perhaps find me and say hello.

It’s the survey season…

Midway through February 2016 already!  Tempis fugit.

Approximately this time last year, I wrote two blogs on the birds and the bees; here on my blog but also on LinkedIn.  I wrote them, partly because it is kind of a traditional ecology thing to do – remind clients that in just six weeks or so (about the same time since Christmas 2015 looking backwards), the survey season will be upon us.  Planning for ecology in February and March should always pay dividends; fail to plan equating to planning to fail and all that.  But also, keen to emphasise surveys that are important but frequently not thought about; either at all, or in the relevant detail appropriate to the study site.

Now today, looking out my new window (we moved in May 2015); and whilst walking the kids to primary school and nursery, the first signs of spring 2016 are already evident: dunnocks singing; great and blue tits chasing each other in the garden hedgerows; the first daffodils, crocuses and snowdrops emerging from the wet ground; and displaying red kites viewable from the front of our house.  Yet there is still evidence of winter; not just the temperatures, but also the redpoll on the bird feeder with various other finches.

So I write this, with a little trepidation (like last year): what will 2016 herald for myself; and also perhaps, you the reader?  Last year, for me, it was Devon, London, lots of sites in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and the third consecutive year surveying spiders in the Border Mires of Northumberland and Cumbria; or the Yorkshire Dales to name a few.

The area of my work that is developing at quite a pace is the invertebrate ecology side of things (though I can survey for birds, undertake Preliminary Ecological Appraisals and more detailed botanical surveys too).  The invertebrate survey guidance, mentioned here and in CIEEM’s In Practice magazine is coming along and will be a focus for my attention in the second half of February and March.  But I want to get a key message out early, so I imagine, sitting here at my desk, that my peers in other offices in companies up and down the UK are also thinking about the survey season too – great crested newt, reptile, badger, otter and water vole surveys to be recommended, whether it be on semi-natural or not so semi-natural habitats.

So I’d like to complete this short blog by asking you to look at two images; a brownfield site (top) and a greenfield site (below).  Both were surveyed in 2015 for their terrestrial invertebrate faunas (pat on the back to the consultancies that recognised the need without the guidance); but what groups or ecological guilds do you think the surveys were focussing on; and what were the policy and legislative drivers?

There are no prizes other than self-satisfaction but when you are reviewing your projects for 2016, perhaps this blog will make you think, not just about bats (which are important), great crested newts (which are important) but also about the wider importance of the site.

For those that are also going, I will be attending CIEEM’s spring conference in London following the publication of the second edition of the EcIA Guidelines published in early January.  So, if you are going (it is fully booked), perhaps let me know; or find me, and it would be good to say hello; and perhaps find out the answer?

After all…it is the survey season for a reason.

Seasons Greetings & Thank You

This year has turned out to be one of the most rewarding since starting freelance in April 2011.  I’ve been fortunate to have worked in some fabulous scenery and amazing locations such as the Northumberland National Park; on some interesting sites in London, Lincolnshire and Cumbria and some remote locations such as the Isle of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides.

Sound of Eriskay with South Uist in the background (left) & surveying on the Isle of Eriskay, Outer Hebrides, June 2015 (right)

The diversity of clients and projects has made this a most enjoyable year.  So please accept my thanks and gratitude and hopefully we can work together in 2016 or some future date.

 

All this work has meant that there has been little opportunity to devote much time to my Blog.  Much has happened in the world of ecology, nature conservation policy and wildlife law.

The Law Commission finally published the outcome of its review on nature conservation law in November 2015 alongside its proposed new Wildlife Bill.  A brief summary can be read on CIEEM’s website here; but it is a substantial document which will take a great deal of reading before the full implications are appreciated.  And this is before it is allocated time in Parliament for debate.  My gut feeling is that the in/ out referendum on the UK’s status in the EU may come first as much of our environmental legislation is influenced by Brussels.  It would surely make sense to know the outcome of this significant debate before the proposals presented by the Law Commission are debated?

Avid readers of CIEEM’s In Practice will have noted mine and Sarah Henshall’s article on proposed invertebrate survey guidance and a request for feedback.  The intention now is to push back publication of the guidance to early 2017 (not 2016 as mentioned in the article) as it has generated a lot of comments and feedback, much of it positive and welcomed.  It is our plan to work on the first draft early in the new year.

Next year is already looking potentially busy.  January to March will be spent identifying material collected as part of the third year surveying for upland spiders in the Yorkshire Dales (Pennines) and Northumberland and Cumberland Border Mires.  The target is the rare and elusive money-spider, Semljicola caliginosus, a denizen of cool, wet Sphagnum seepage lines.  The species has been recorded in 2015 from suitable habitat in the Yorkshire Dales NP.  However the most exciting discovery has been another money-spider, Minicia marginella, which has previously only been recorded a couple of times from Kent in the early 1990s and not since then.  A single female was collected in autumn 2014 and subsequently a male and female in summer 2015 from Butterburn Flow SSSI/ SAC/ Ramsar Site.  This is the only known site in the UK for this enigmatic and highly characteristic spider.

Am sure spring will be upon us soon, though at the time of writing, it is feeling a bit spring like already!

So I will leave you with this image and wishing you a relaxing Christmas break and New Year…and thanking all those who have worked with me during the previous twelve months.

 

 

Autumn 2015 Newsletter

My latest client newsletter with news on what I have been up to in the last six months…

I am interested to hear about any winter opportunities, particularly bird surveys which I could help with.  More details in the newsletter.