The ecological surveys season is now well and truly underway with our ecological surveyors working hard to complete great crested newt surveys to Natural England’s timing guidelines. With an ever increasing client base and numerous contracts being awarded on a weekly basis, we have just recruited a new Assistant Ecologist, Mitch Jackson, who joined our team of ecologists in May. Mitch is a recent graduate with a BSc Biological Science (Hons) degree from University of Birmingham. He is keen and enthusiastic with a particular knowledge and experience with bats and birds. He will be providing immediate and much needed assistance with our current protected species survey work involving great crested newts, bats and reptiles. He is already proving to be hard working and a great asset to the company.
Our recent and on-going protected species projects include great crested newt surveys for a proposed school development on the Isle of Anglesey, at Watermead Park in Leicester, a primary school and Power Station site in Derbyshire and a large urban site in Nottingham. Reptile surveys are also being carried out in Nottingham. Bat scoping surveys and bat activity surveys are being carried out at various sites throughout England and Wales to best advise private individuals wishing to develop as well as construction companies, architects and local authorities. Sites include a Church site in Herefordshire, Derby University buildings, A large Hotel in rural Leicestershire, University of Birmingham campus building and private houses throughout the East and West Midlands. Recent Extended Phase-1 habitat surveys were conducted at a variety of sites for housing developments and school projects in Bedfordshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire.
Udall-Martin Associates Ltd. recently secured a reptile mitigation project for a local council. The work will involve initially enhancing a reptile receptor site by creating purpose-built reptile hibernacular, grass snake egg-laying sites, a wildflower meadow and other areas of potential use for reptiles. We will also be installing several hundred metres of reptile fencing and subsequently translocating reptiles from the proposed development site to the newly enhanced receptor site. We have a new land management and habitat creation team fully equipped with plant and machinery to undertake on-site mitigation, compensation and enhancement works involving wildlife fencing, habitat creation and habitat management.
On a nature conservation note, we expanded our voluntary bat box schemes last week, with Dwayne Martin and Mitch Jackson installing several bat boxes in a local mature deciduous woodland in Herefordshire, a stones’ throw away from our office. We look forward to checking those boxes over the coming years.
Udall-Martin Associates Ltd. provide the complete ecological works package, ranging from the initial Extended Phase-1 habitat survey, to further Phase-2 protected species surveys such as great crested newts, bats and reptiles, through to designing and implementing on-site mitigation works including wildlife fencing, animal translocation and habitat creation. Whether your project is large or small, we would be happy to hear from you. We can provide initial ecological advice by telephone and/or e-mail and provide specific quotations for required ecology work. Our work is of the highest standard and we offer competitive rates for all our ecological services.