Bird Surveys: Professional Ornithology & Assessment
Delivering specialist breeding and wintering bird surveys to identify species assemblages and ensure robust environmental legislative compliance for your site.
E3 Ecology.
Expert surveys for environmental legal standards.
All wild birds, their nests and young are legally protected. It is an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take a wild bird; intentionally take, damage or destroy nests in use or being built; intentionally take, damage or destroy eggs. Some species are afforded additional protection.
If your proposals are likely to impact on habitats of importance to breeding or wintering (non-breeding) birds, further survey work will likely be required to fully assess bird assemblages using the site. Additional survey work may be recommended where a development has the potential to affect qualifying bird species of a Special Protection Area, a site protected by law for the bird populations it supports. Impact assessments and mitigation or compensation strategies may subsequently be required if it is being used in support of a planning application.
Where buildings may be suitable to support breeding barn owl, a barn owl risk assessment may also be recommended, often to be carried out at the same time as a bat risk assessment.
Where vegetation clearance and/or building works may impact on active birds’ nests, pre-commencement nesting bird checking surveys may be required to confirm they are absent or establish the locations and thus inform necessary buffer zones to protect them from disturbance, until the young have left the nest.
What do bird surveys involve?
Breeding Bird Surveys:
These typically comprise six site visits, five in the early morning and one at dusk looking specifically for nocturnal species. An experienced ornithologist will walk over the site, recording breeding bird territories.
Breeding Bird Risk Assessment
This typically comprises a single site visit to catalogue the species seen during the visit and to assess the risk and potential assemblage of species which may use the site, and in what capacity they may use the site.
Non-Breeding Bird Surveys
Depending on conditions on site, non-breeding bird surveys may be recommended, typically to assess the wintering assemblage present at a site.
This typically comprises monthly walkover surveys of the site, between November and March, though the required survey effort may vary on a site-by-site basis, which we will discuss with you in detail. Passage surveys may be required in spring or autumn, using similar methods.
Barn Owl Risk Assessment
Where buildings are to be affected that may be suitable to support barn owl, an experienced ornithologist will carry out a detailed external and internal risk assessment for this species.
Reporting
Following completion of survey work, a report, comprising data analysis, impact assessment and mitigation recommendations will be provided.
Nesting Bird Checks
Prior to commencement of site clearance works, nesting bird checks are frequently required, should vegetation clearance, tree felling or building works be proposed within the bird nesting season.
This will be carried out by a suitably experienced ecologist, to identify active nests and advise on any areas where works should not commence until young birds have fledged.
When can bird surveys be carried out?
Breeding bird surveys: Mid-March to early July, though a breeding bird risk assessment may be undertaken at any time of year
Non-breeding bird surveys: Typically November to March (additional surveys can be required in autumn and spring depending on species likely to use the site, such as passage species)
How Can E3 Ecology Help?
E3 has in-house ornithologists, including a national expert in the field, who has extensive experience of site survey and assessment with a strong regional focus in the north-east of England. This includes working on projects where development may impact on the qualifying species of Special Protection Areas and a range of other projects, including wind farms, new forestry or woodland creation sites, residential developments and quarries.
The team has expertise in design of appropriate mitigation and enhancement for bird species which is tailored to be site specific, to ensure the maintenance of local bird populations. Our team also includes a member who holds a barn owl survey licence.
If you think you require or have been asked for a bird survey, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we will be happy to help.